When Moshe first appears before Pharaoh, not only does Pharaoh refuse to allow the Jewish slaves to leave Egypt, but he intensifies their suffering. He orders them to gather their own straw for bricks while maintaining the same production quota (Shemos 5:18). When the Jewish foremen blame Moshe for worsening their plight (5:21), Moshe turns to Hashem in anguish:   “My Lord, why have You done evil to this people, why have You sent me? From the time I came to Pharaoh to speak i

At the beginning of this week’s parsha, Yaakov is nearing the end of his life. He calls Yosef to his bedside and asks him to promise that he will not be buried in Egypt, but rather in the Land of Israel: “Please if I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh and do kindness and truth with me – please do not bury me in Egypt. For I will lie down with my fathers and you shall transport me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb. He [Yosef] said, ‘I per