הפטורה: וְאַרְבָּעָה אֲנָשִׁים. בְּמִנְחָה: עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ.

[On Shabbos Parshas Metzora], the haftarah begins Ve’arbaah anashim (II Melachim 7:3-20).1

[On Shabbos HaGadol, after] Minchah, [we readpart of the Haggadah, from] Avadim hayinu [until lechaper al kol avonoseinu].2

מִזְּמַן יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם נִקְרְאוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל צִבְאוֹת ה'. הַהֶפְרֵשׁ בֵּין עֲבָדִים — שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ כֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל — וּצְבָאוֹת הוּא: עֶבֶד עוֹשֶׂה עֲבוֹדַת רַבּוֹ — וּבָזֶה כַּמָּה דַּרְגוֹת נוֹקֵב מַרְגָּלִיּוֹת, עוֹשֶׂה שְׁאָר מְלָאכוֹת, עוֹשֶׂה מְלָאכוֹת פְּשׁוּטוֹת — וְיֵשׁ בָּזֶה יְגִיעָה וְעָמָל רַב, אֲבָל אֵין זֶה עִנְיָן שֶׁל מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ. צָבָא הֵם עֲבָדִים שֶׁעוֹבְדִים בִּיגִיעָה רַבָּה וְעָמָל וּבִמְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ, הֵן בְּמִלְחֶמֶת הֲגָנָה וְהֵן בְּמִלְחֶמֶת תְּנוּפָה, וְעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַרְתָּם בְּתַכְלִית הַתּוֹקֶף מִבְּלִי הִתְפָּעֵל מֵהַמְּנַגֵּד וְשׂוֹנֵא, וַעֲבוֹדָתָם זוֹ אֵינָהּ עִנְיָן שֶׁל הֲשָּׂגָה, כִּי הֵם מִתְנַהֲגִים עַל פִּי הוֹרָאַת מַצְבִּיאָם. וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁמוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם הָיוּ בְּתַכְלִית הַשִּׁפְלוּת בְּעִינּוּיִם קָשִׁים וּמָרִים, וְעִם זֶה לֹא שִׁנּוּ שְׁמָם וּלְשׁוֹנָם וּלְבוּשֵׁיהֶם, וְעָמְדוּ עַל מִשְׁמַרְתָּם בְּתַכְלִית הַחוֹזֶק, כִּי יָדְעוּ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִבְטִיחַ לִגְאוֹל אוֹתָם, וְהַמִּתְנַהֵג כָּזֶה בְּמַצָּב זֶה הוּא מִצְּבָא ה', דְּה' עוֹזְרוֹ בְּדֶרֶךְ מִלְמַעְלָה מִן הַטֶּבַע בַּטֶבַע.

Ever since the time of the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people have been called Tzivos HaShem, “G‑d’s army.”3 The Jewish people are [also] called servants.4 The difference between servants and an army [can be explained as follows]: A servant performs work for his master on various levels — one pierces pearls, one works in other crafts, another carries out unskilled tasks. These involve considerable labor and effort, but no element of self-sacrifice.

An army, by contrast, is comprised of subjects who expend toil and exertion and self-sacrifice, whether in a defensive war or an offensive one. [Soldiers] discharge their duties with utter resoluteness, unperturbed by their opponents and enemies. Their service does not depend on [their] understanding, for they follow the orders of their commanders.

In Egypt, the souls of the Jewish people were on the lowest of levels, [due to] the harsh and bitter afflictions. Nevertheless, they did not change their names, language, or dress.5 On the contrary, they held their ground with the utmost tenacity, for they knew that G‑d had promised to redeem them.

A person who conducts himself thus in a similar situation is a member of G‑d’s army. G‑d helps him in a way that transcends nature, but [that is vested] within nature.6

Probing Beneath the Surface

Why is a soldier willing to sacrifice his life in battle for a ruler he may never have even seen? Because he feels himself to be part of a larger whole, a collective identity far surpassing his individual self.

In this lies the superiority of a soldier over a servant. A servant understands bittul, sacrificing his individual identity, for he is not his own master. He is, however, often left with the feeling that he has given something away without receiving anything in return and that he would prefer doing his own things.7 A soldier, by contrast, feels himself to be part of something higher, and this motivates him to acts of self-sacrifice.