The Enslavement in Egypt
When Egyptians wanted to plow their fields, they used Jews instead of animals to spare their livestock.
1. As early as the Covenant Between the Pieces, Hashem informed Abraham of the decree of enslavement: "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own and they will be enslaved... and afterward, they will come out with great wealth."
2. The suffering of the Israelites in Egypt lasted 210 years and began with the passing of Jacob, our forefather. It was then that the Egyptians started the initial steps of enslavement.
3. The main period of harsh enslavement lasted 86 years (Seder Olam, 3).
4. The Israelites were subjected to 'backbreaking labor' in Egypt. Women's work was imposed on men, and men's work on women. Thus, women were forced to draw water, chop wood, and gather crops in the fields (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeitzei 7).
5. The construction work was unbearably difficult. Each Hebrew was required to produce 400 bricks daily (Seder Olam 14). Additionally, they were compelled to build on sandy terrain, and everything they constructed would sink into the ground (Midrash Hagadol, Shemot 1:11).
6. The Egyptians treated the Hebrews with humiliation. Hebrew men worked for Egyptian women, and Hebrew women served Egyptian men (Tana Devei Eliyahu Rabbah, 7). Additionally, torches were placed on the heads of the Hebrews to light the way for the Egyptians (Midrash Hagadol, Shemot 10:21).
7. Moreover, when the Egyptians wanted to plow their fields, they used Jews instead of animals to spare their livestock (Me'am Loez, Va'era 13).
8. As the Israelites left Egypt, many were disabled and physically harmed due to the severe tortures endured during the years of enslavement (Bamidbar Rabbah 7:1).
9. When the Egyptian children heard a Hebrew baby cry, they would alert their fathers, who would then throw the male infants into the Nile (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemot 182).
10. The Egyptians burned Hebrew children as sacrifices to their gods. Pharaoh fell ill with leprosy and to heal, he bathed in the blood of 150 Israelite infants in the evening and another 150 in the morning (Shemot Rabbah 1:41).
