ר' שמשון רפאל הירש – 39:43 “וירא משה את כל המלאכה והנה עשו אותה כאשר צוה ד' כן עשו, ויברך אותם משה” – “Moshe saw the entire work, and behold, they had accomplished it; as Hashem had commanded, so they had done; and Moshe blessed them.” Moshe Rabbeinu looked over all the work that had been completed, and he noted that the work bore two distinctive characteristics: first, עשו אותה – it was “they” who had done it; every part of the work, from the smallest to the largest, expressed the whole personality, the devotion, the enthusiastic responsiveness, and the dynamism of the entire nation. Second, “כאשר צוה ד' כן עשו” – “As Hashem had commanded, so they had done” – their zeal and enthusiasm had been subordinated completely, both communally and individually, to the Divine command. There had been no attempt on the part of any craftsman to bring his own ideas and his own individuality to bear upon the work by making additions or omissions. Rather, for each and every one of the craftsmen, this was his greatest reward: to carry out Hashem’s command and intentions with scrupulous care and precision. This joy of duty eagerly fulfilled, this freedom in obedience and obedience in freedom, is experienced precisely when one subordinated himself to Hashem’s Will, which brings a sense of self-fulfillment and unsurpassed joy. This is the distinguishing characteristic of the highest moral perfection in the deeds of the Jewish person. This is what characterizes a human being as an Eved Hashem.
Now we can understand what the Torah means when it says, “כל איש”. The Torah is telling us that Klal Yisroel were “all in”. Being a slave is a full-time job, without a break. If one were to say, “I am a slave, but I have a lunch break for 15 minutes every day, and I have Bein Hazmanim a few times a year” – is that called an Eved? No! An Eved is one who is completely devoted to Hakodosh Boruch Hu at all times. That doesn’t mean that one does not need to rest and take breaks – but rather it means that one should do so for the sake of continuously being able to serve Hashem. We must serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu – all in – with every fiber of our being. May we be Zoche to serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu in the proper manner – with everything that we can.
