Shemos 1:14 · unit 2

Parashas Shemos · Passuk 1:14

The Complete Passuk

וַיְמָרְר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים וּבְכׇל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה אֵ֚ת כׇּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlesslybthe various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly Moved up from the end of the verse for clarity. they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field.

Chabad.org — 1:14

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Rava — Sotah 11b (verified).

Sefaria — Sotah 11b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text — Sotah 11b

בחומר ובלבנים וגו׳ — אמר רבא: בתחלה בחומר ובלבנים ולבסוף בכל עבודה בשדה.

English: “With mortar and with bricks\ldots” — Rava said: At first with mortar and bricks, and afterward with all field labor.

On the daf / in context: The verse lists the labors in ascending order of severity. Rava reads the sequence as historical: the Egyptians first assigned brick-making, then expanded the burden to every form of field work.

Type of Learning

Custom — sequential reading of the list of labors.

What Is Learned

Chazal teach that the oppression was graduated: the Egyptians acclimated Israel to labor by beginning with brick-work and only later imposing the full range of field service.