Many years after Joseph died a new Pharaoh arose over Egypt who did not remember Joseph.  By this time the descendents of Jacob, called Israelites as Jacob was also known as Israel, were quite numerous.  This new Pharaoh decided to enslave the Israelites and forced them to into backbreaking labor, building cities and treasure houses for Pharaoh.  The lives of the Israelites were embittered with hard bondage, morter, and in brick, and at one point were not even given straw from which to make the bricks.

Emphasize at this point of the story how the lives of the Israelites were embittered and that they had to work with bricks and morter.  This corresponds to the bitter herbs and charoseth.

Group

Pharaoh said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.  So they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.  The Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour and made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field.


haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story