Is pickling one of the great mysteries?

We pickle things by covering them in salt-brine. The salt removes the excess water, thereby preserving the item. Other spices and vinegar/wine/sherry may be added to the soak for flavoring, but lots of salt is the essential element that makes the process work.

However, when pickled, we need to get the salt off the items or they would be too salty. So we wash them in water. How does that work? Use salt to remove the water, then use water to remove the salt. Why doesn’t that just put the water right back?