וְהִגִּישׁ֤וֹ אֲדֹנָיו֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהִגִּישׁוֹ֙ אֶל־הַדֶּ֔לֶת א֖וֹ אֶל־הַמְּזוּזָ֑ה וְרָצַ֨ע אֲדֹנָ֤יו אֶת־אׇזְנוֹ֙ בַּמַּרְצֵ֔עַ וַעֲבָד֖וֹ לְעֹלָֽם
The Neos Desheh (Ishbitz) explains that the slave who chooses to remain with his master, who cannot separate himself from a live of avdus to olam ha'zeh, from thinking about his work and his wife and his kids and everything else that he is caught up in, should not think that he has no hope for ruchniyus. His ear is punctured by the doorpost, by the mezuzah, the very place where in Mitzrayim we sprinkled the blood of the korban pesach. Just like Hashem redeemed us then despite our lack of merits, so too, this Jewish slave who may have no merits, can be pulled out of situation by Hashem.
"should not think that he has no hope for ruchniyus"
ReplyDeleteeven though rosh devaro lo emes (the first of his two requests to remain a slave, made at the beginning[?] of his initial servitude, Kidushin 22), was not "true to Hashem"* (quoted from the next post). still, "b'shutfus" (next post), his master** can later fruitfully answer his permanent slave's request, 'aseh im-avdecha k'chasdecha, v'chukecha lamdeini' (119:124)...
*the eved would subjugate himself to another master, conveying a sizable "smidgin of falsehood"
**through likeness to G-d, to the master's credit