4 Cups, 4 Negaim, 4 Stages of Golus

One of the opinions in the Midrash (Berashis Rabbah 88:5) is that the takkanah of the 4 cups of Pesach corresponds to the 4 different גליות Klal Yisrael goes through, רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיּוֹת.  What is the connection between the 4 מַלְכֻיּוֹת and the 4 cups?  The Midrash Tazria (15:9) (cited last year on the blog) says the 4 types of negaim (שאת ספחת בהרת נגע צרעת) correspond to the 4  מלכיות.  What is the connection between these these two ideas?  

As mentioned many times before (2022, 2019) a nega itself is not a negative force but is a tremendous source of spirituality which contaminates a person who does not have the capability to withstand such bursts of spiritual energy.  However, ultimately the point of the nega is to allow a person to realize their faults and to fix themselves to be a proper receptacle to hold the spiritual bolts and when one does that they actually become elevated as an account of going through the whole process of the tumah and taharah that goes along with a nega.  Th message the Midrash is trying to teach us is that the journey, the golus through the 4 מַלְכֻיּוֹת is the same way.  Although it is a difficult process, the point of the journey is to be able to accomplish, to reach greater heights than what could not have been reached without the hard journey.  The Gemarah Pesachim (87b) says לא גלו ישראל אלא שיתוספו עליהם גרים.  With this we can understand the Gemarah Kiddushin (70b) קשים גרים לישראל כספחת.  Since the hardships of golus are all for the sake of the ger, he is like the ספחת, the tzaaras that once has to suffer through in order to be able to access greater kedusha, so too Klal Yisrael has to suffer in order to bring the ger to kedusha (see Sfas Emes Yisro 5652.)  

That is the comparison of the 4 kingdoms to the 4 cups.  On the night of Pesach we remind ourselves of the slavery and rejoice in the redemption.  We appreciate the journey is a means of obtaining greater spiritual heights.  Chazal sought to remind us the same is true through our journey through golus.  The golus provides us with ability to e ready to receive geulah.  The Maharal (Gevuot Hashem Ch. 60) adds that is specifically the act of drinking that corresponds to the 4 kingdoms.  Drinking is not the main part of the meal but is there to help the food go down; it is there to accompany he food.  So too the various goliout are only in order to help the main course, Klal Yisrael to navigate their way to be come readied for redemption.