Children and servants of Hashem

ואחר פרשת שמיטין ויובלות כתי' וכי ימוך כו' עבדי הם כו'.

And after the passage of shemittin and yovlos (the Sabbatical and Jubilee years) it is written, "And if your brother becomes impoverished…" and "for they are My servants (avadai)…"

The Sefas Emes notes the placement of the laws of an impoverished Jew sold into servitude — and Hashem's declaration "they are My servants" — immediately following the laws of shemittah and yovel.

והרמז כי בנ"י הם בחי' בנים ועבדים כמ"ש בזוה"ק.

The hint is that Bnei Yisrael are both the aspect of "children" (banim) and "servants" (avadim), as is stated in the holy Zohar.

Bnei Yisrael relate to Hashem in two ways simultaneously: as beloved children and as devoted servants. The Sefas Emes draws on the Zohar to develop both dimensions.

ובחי' עבדים זכו ביצ"מ.

And the aspect of "servants" they merited at Yetzias Mitzrayim (the Exodus).

The relationship of being Hashem's servants was acquired at the Exodus, when Hashem took them out of Egyptian bondage to become His own avadim.

והיא מתנה לעולם כמ"ש לי בנ"י עבדים כ"מ שכ' לי הוא לעולם.

And this is a gift forever, as it is written, "for to Me the Bnei Yisrael are servants" — and wherever it says "to Me (li)," it is forever.

The status of being Hashem's servants is permanent and irrevocable. Whenever the Torah uses the word "li" ("to Me"), it signals something eternal — so this bond of servitude can never be undone.

אבל בכח התורה זכו לבחי' בנים ולכן סמך שמיטה ויובל להר סיני בחי' בנים.

But through the power of the Torah they merited the aspect of "children," and therefore shemittah and yovel are placed adjacent to Har Sinai — the aspect of "children."

The higher relationship of "children" was earned through receiving the Torah at Sinai. This is why shemittah and yovel are juxtaposed with Har Sinai (as Rashi notes, "What does shemittah have to do with Har Sinai?") — Sinai represents the elevated madreigah of being Hashem's banim.

ואחר שבטלנו שמיטין ויובלות ונמכרנו.

And after we nullified the shemittin and yovlos and were sold [into galus].

When Bnei Yisrael failed to keep shemittah and yovel, they were "sold" — exiled into galus, losing the elevated standing tied to those mitzvos of the land.

אעפ"כ יש לנו בחי' עבדים בכח יציאת מצרים.

Even so, we still have the aspect of "servants," by the power of Yetzias Mitzrayim.

Even after losing the "children" relationship through galus, the bond of servitude remains intact — because it was granted forever at the Exodus and can never be revoked.

וז"ש על מה אבדה הארץ כו' על עזבם את תורתי בחי' בנים כנ"ל:

And this is the meaning of "For what reason was the land lost?… Because they forsook My Torah" — the aspect of "children," as explained above.

The land was lost because they forsook the Torah, which is the source of the "children" relationship. Abandoning Torah forfeited the elevated bond of banim — yet the eternal bond of avadim, rooted in the Exodus, still endures.

Summary: Bnei Yisrael relate to Hashem both as servants and as children. The bond of servitude was acquired forever at Yetzias Mitzrayim and can never be revoked, while the higher bond of children was earned through the Torah at Sinai — which is why shemittah and yovel are juxtaposed with Har Sinai. When Bnei Yisrael forsook the Torah and were exiled, they lost the "children" relationship tied to the land, yet the eternal "servants" bond of the Exodus remains.