מדרש אויף שמות 1:14

“But the more they would afflict it, the more it would increase and the more it would proliferate; they were disgusted by the children of Israel” (Exodus 1:12).
“But the more they would afflict it, the more it would increase and the more it would proliferate.” “The more they increased and the more they proliferated is not stated, but rather, “it would increase and it would proliferate.” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The Divine Spirit is heralding to them: Each of them “will increase and will proliferate.”²⁵It is written in future tense and in the singular and not in past tense plural.
“They were disgusted [vayakutzu] by the children of Israel,” teaching that Israel was like thorns [kotzim] in their eyes.
“The Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel ruthlessly [befarekh]” (Exodus 1:13).
Rabbi Elazar said: With gentle persuasion [befeh rakh]. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman says: With crushing cruelty [bifrikha]. This is what they did to each person of Israel: They imposed a decree upon them that each and every day they should produce the equivalent of the number of bricks that they produced on the first day.
“They embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and with bricks, and with all kinds of work in the fields; all the work with which they worked them ruthlessly” (Exodus 1:14).
“They embittered their lives with hard labor, etc.” – initially, “with mortar and with bricks,” and later “with all kinds of work in the field,” and ultimately, “all the work.” What is: “All the work with which they worked them ruthlessly”? Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said that Rabbi Yonatan [said]: It teaches that they would exchange the labor of men for women and the labor of women for men. Rabbi Avya said: Rabbi Elazar concedes that this is [work imposed] with crushing cruelty.²⁶Although Rabbi Elazar interpreted the word befarekh in verse 13 to mean with gentle persuasion, he concedes that the word befarekh at the end of verse 14 means with crushing cruelty. Thus, the beginning of the servitude was conducted with gentle persuasion, but eventually it was with crushing cruelty.

[(Numb. 14:11:) HOW LONG WILL THIS PEOPLE SCORN ME?: This text is related (to Is. 5:4): WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO FOR MY VINEYARD THAT I HAVE NOT DONE FOR IT? WHEN I HOPED FOR IT TO PRODUCE GRAPES, WHY DID IT PRODUCE SOUR GRAPES?⁸The beginning of this section is not found in Numb. R. The Holy One said: <Consider> what good things I have created within my world! Did I not make them for you? Yet with the very good that I made for you, you provoked me. I brought you out of Egypt. Then when I came to the sea, I made it as if it were full of clay.⁹Exod. R. 24:1; cf. Tanh., Numb. 4:13. Thus it is stated (in Hab. 3:15): YOU TROD THE SEA WITH YOUR HORSES, THE MORTAR OF MANY WATERS. They walked in it and talked to each other. A certain Reubenite said: Where are we? Do you not know that he has brought us away from clay and bricks and returned us to clay? Thus it is stated (in Exod. 1:14): AND THEY MADE THEIR LIVES BITTER WITH HARD LABOR AT MORTAR AND BRICKS. So similarly (in Hab. 3:15): YOU TROD THE SEA WITH YOUR HORSES, THE MORTAR OF MANY WATERS. The Holy One said to them: Yet with the good that I brought upon you, you provoked me. When they came to the desert, I brought the manna down to you for forty years.¹⁰With this sentence, the text again parallels Numb. R. 16:24. Moreover, none of them had to ease nature for those forty years. Rather when they ate the manna, it <simply> became flesh for them, as stated (in Ps. 78:25, 27) EACH ONE ATE THE BREAD OF THE MIGHTY (rt.: 'BR); [….AND HE RAINED DOWN MEAT UPON THEM LIKE DUST….] When <the manna> became body members (rt.: 'BR) and flesh,¹¹Numb. R. 7:4; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Wayassa‘ 4 (on Exod. 16:15); Sifre to Numb. 11:4 (88); Yoma 74b. they provoked him with it. Seeing for themselves that they did not have to go out <to ease nature> like <other> humans, they began saying to each other: Do you not know that we have had twenty days, even thirty [days], without easing nature? What is this? When a person does not ease nature for four or five days, does he not die or burst open? Now as for us, (according to Numb. 21:5), OUR SOUL LOATHES THIS MISERABLE FOOD. Why was it said to be MISERABLE (rt.: QLL)? Because it was light (rt.: QLL) within their bowels.

Another matter, “When [the Lord your God] will expand [your border]” – that is what the verse said: “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness, for You have seen my affliction. You have known my soul’s distress, and You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy; You set my feet in open space” (Psalms 31:8–9). The Rabbis say: This verse is speaking of Joseph. Joseph said: ‘Master of the universe, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” that You performed with me. Had You exacted revenge on my behalf from Potifera’s wife, and had not given me the kingship, I would have rejoiced and been happy. Now that I have the kingship, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness….”’ “For You have seen my affliction” – this is Joseph, in whose regard it is written: “[He had sent a man before them, Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.] They tortured his legs with chains; his body was placed in irons” (Psalms 105:17–18). “You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy” – this is Potifera. “You set my feet in open space” –You made me ruler over the entire land of Egypt. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the provider of grain to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came, and prostrated themselves to him, faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them, and spoke harshly to them; he said to them: From where did you come? They said: From the land of Canaan, to acquire food” (Genesis 42:6–7).
Another matter, [the verse] “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” is speaking of Israel. Israel said: ‘Master of the universe, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” that You performed with us. Had You exacted revenge against the Egyptians and not given us their wealth, we would have rejoiced. We have joy and happiness because You gave us their wealth.’ “For You have seen my affliction” – this is Israel, in whose regard it is written: “The Egyptians mistreated us, and afflicted us, and imposed upon us hard labor. We cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and He saw our affliction…” (Deuteronomy 26:6–7). “You have known my soul’s distress” – this is Israel, in whose regard it is written: “They embittered their lives” (Exodus 1:14). “You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy” – this is the wicked Pharaoh, as it is written: “The enemy said: I will pursue” (Exodus 15:9). “You set my feet in open space” – as you expanded my border, as it is stated: “When [the Lord your God] will expand [your border].”