Freedom or Slavery?

What does the evil [son] say? "What is this service to you?" 'To you' and not 'to him.' And since he excluded himself from the collective, he denied a principle [of the Jewish faith]. And accordingly, you will blunt his teeth and say to him, "'For the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt' (Exodus 13:8)." 'For me' and not 'for him.' If he had been there, he would not have been saved.

(55) For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai would explain this verse... Why is the ear singled out from all of the limbs on the body?

The Holy One Blessed Be He said:

The ear that heard my voice on Mt. Sinai say "For unto Me the children of Israel are slaves" and not slaves to slaves. This one went and acquired for himself a master. Pierce his ear...

If one would say, "Who am I and what am I worth that I should pray for Jerusalem etc... Will the exiles be gathered in and will Salvation sprout because of my prayer?" his answer awaits him. As we learned (Sanhedrin 37a), "Man was created individually so that each man should say, 'The world was created for my sake.' " it is the Blessed One's pleasure that His sons desire and pray for this. And though their desire may not be fulfilled because the proper time has not yet arrived or for some other reason, they will have done their part and the Holy One Blessed be He rejoices in it.