From curse to blessing through faithful service

במדרש ע"י ששרת אותו צדיק באמונה יצא מכלל ארור לברוך.

In the Midrash: because he (Eliezer) served that tzaddik (Avraham) with faithfulness (emunah), he went out from the category of "cursed" to "blessed."

The Midrash teaches that Eliezer, a descendant of Canaan who was cursed, rose from "cursed" to "blessed" — when Lavan greeted him as "blessed of Hashem" — by virtue of his faithful service to Avraham.

וכן בכל איש ע"י אמונה כראוי לעבודת השי"ת אדון כל.

And so it is with every person: through proper emunah in the service of Hashem, the Master of all,

What was true of Eliezer applies to everyone: serving Hashem, the Master of all, with genuine emunah has the same transformative power.

בודאי יוצא מכלל ארור לברוך וכן יוכל להוציא כל הנבראים מקללה.

he surely goes out from the category of "cursed" to "blessed," and can likewise bring all creatures out of curse.

Through faithful avodah a person not only lifts himself from curse to blessing but gains the power to draw all of creation out of its state of curse as well.

שכ' ז"ל שבגלות כל יום קללתו מרובה.

For Chazal said that in galus, each day its curse is greater (cf. Sotah 49a).

The world in galus is in a state of mounting curse — Chazal describe how each day brings greater hardship and concealment than the one before.

וע"י אמונה בהשי"ת יוכל להוציא כל דבר לברכה.

And through emunah in Hashem, one can bring every thing out into blessing.

Emunah is the force that reverses the curse of galus, capable of drawing everything back into a state of berachah.

ואיתא עבד משכיל ימשול בבן מביש דרשו ז"ל על עבד אברהם.

And it is brought, "A wise servant shall rule over a son who causes shame" (Mishlei 17:2) — Chazal expounded this concerning the servant of Avraham (Eliezer).

The Sefas Emes cites the pasuk about the "wise servant," which Chazal applied to Eliezer, the eved of Avraham, who in his wisdom and faithfulness surpassed unworthy sons.

ונוכל לפרש כי בימות החול נקראו עבדים ובשבת בנים.

And we may explain that on the weekdays they are called "servants" (avadim), and on Shabbos "children" (banim).

The Sefas Emes reads the contrast between "servant" and "son" as two modes of avodah: during the weekdays we serve Hashem as avadim, while on Shabbos we rise to the level of banim, beloved children.

ומ"מ הכנה לשבת הוא עבודה בחול.

And nevertheless, the preparation for Shabbos is the labor (avodah) of the weekdays.

The exalted state of "children" on Shabbos is not reached on its own; it is built upon the diligent avodah of a "servant" throughout the week.

עבד משכיל בחול זוכה לבוא לשבת.

A "wise servant" during the weekdays merits to come to Shabbos.

One who serves wisely and faithfully as an eved through the week earns the elevation of arriving at the holiness of Shabbos.

ע"י שעובד בלב שלם ומשתוקק להתקשר בהשי"ת ולהטות כל המעשים אליו עי"ז זוכה להרגיש קדושת שבת ע"י הבושה שמבין שאינו כדאי לקבל שבת כראוי וע"י הבושה מתקרב להשי"ת וזוכה לקדושת שבת כנ"ל וזה עבד משכיל ימשול בבן מביש כנ"ל:

Through serving with a whole heart and longing to bind himself to Hashem and to direct all his deeds toward Him, he thereby merits to feel the holiness of Shabbos — by means of the shame (bushah) of understanding that he is not worthy to receive Shabbos as is fitting; and through this shame he draws near to Hashem and merits the holiness of Shabbos, as mentioned. And this is "a wise servant shall rule over a son who causes shame (ben meivish)," as mentioned.

Wholehearted weekday avodah, with a longing to cleave to Hashem and turn every act toward Him, brings a person to feel Shabbos's kedushah. Paradoxically, the gateway is bushah — the humble recognition that he is unworthy to truly receive Shabbos. That very sense of shame draws him close to Hashem and earns him the holiness of Shabbos. This is the deeper "wise servant who rules over a son who causes shame" (ben meivish): the eved's humble shame is precisely what elevates him.

Summary: Just as Eliezer rose from "cursed" to "blessed" through his faithful service of Avraham, so every person, through genuine emunah in serving Hashem, lifts himself — and ultimately all of creation — from the curse of galus into blessing. The "wise servant" of the verse points to two modes of avodah: during the week we serve as avadim, and on Shabbos we become banim. But the elevated state of "children" on Shabbos is built upon wholehearted weekday labor. The gateway is bushah — the humble sense of being unworthy to receive Shabbos — and it is precisely this shame that draws a person near to Hashem and grants him the kedushah of Shabbos.