It states (1:13) ֶ ךְָרבְּפ ֵלָאְרׂיִש בְּנֵי ֶתא ַיִםִצְרמ ֲבִ דוּוַיַּע, "The Mitzrim enslaved Bnei Yisrael with back breaking labor (ֶ ךְָרבְּפ)."
The Midrash translates ֶ ךְָרבְּפ to mean (HaGadol, Shemos 13) רך בפה with soft speech. How was slavery enacted with "soft speech"?
The Midrash explains that when the Mitzrim were about to start slavery, they didn't announce their intentions. Instead, the Mitzrim made it sound that working for Pharaoh would benefit them. Pharaoh promised to pay a handsome sum for every brick produced.
Many Yidden were excited at the prospect of earning a lot of money, and they put much effort into producing as many bricks as they could on the first day. Amram, however, made only one brick, and then he stopped working. At the end of the day, the sum of each person's production was counted. If someone made a hundred bricks that day, it was decreed that he must produce that amount every day, but from then on without pay.
As time went on, matters became even harder for the Jewish nation because Pharaoh stopped supplying straw for the production. He said (5:7-8) ...ֵנִיםַלְּבה לִ לְ בּ ֹן ָםָעל ֶןֶּבת ֵתָתל ִפוּןתֹאס לֹאֶםֵיהֲלע ִימוָּּׂשת ֹׁםִׁלְשש ְּמוֹלת ִיםׂעֹש ֵםה ֶרֲׁשא ֵנִיםַלְּבה ְכֹּנֶתַתמ ֶתוְאֶּ נּוִּממ ִ גְרְ עוּת לֹא, "You shall not continue to give stubble to the people to make the bricks like yesterday and the day before yesterday. Let them go and gather stubble for themselves. But the number of bricks they were making yesterday and the day before yesterday, you shall impose upon them; you shall not reduce it."
So, whoever worked hard at the beginning suffered more. Each day, he had to make the number of bricks he made on that first day, and, as we wrote, this quota became harder as time went on.
Why didn't Amram work hard on the first day? Why did he produce one brick? Similarly, there were other tzaddikim who made a few bricks, but they didn't work too hard. Why?
It is because they trusted in Hashem. They had bitachon that Hashem would support them tomorrow and in the future. This turned out to be for their benefit because they didn't have to make too many bricks when the forced labor began. The same applies to those who have bitachon, in every generation. They end up gaining from it. But those who lack bitachon become enslaved to their work.
It states (2:13) ִבְרִיםע ִׁיםֲנָשא ְׁנֵיש ִנֵּהוְה ֵנִיַּׁשה בַּיּוֹם ֵאוַיֵּצנִצִּים, "And he went out on the second day, and behold, two Jewish men were quarreling."
It states (1:14) ֶםַיֵּיהח-ֶתא ֲרוָּֽרוַיְמ, "they embittered their lives." The taamim (trop) on these words is a happy tune – ואזלא קדמא. The Rebbe of Vorke asks why is a happy tune sung on these bitter words. The answer is that due to the severity of the tzaros, ואזלא קדמה, the Jewish nation left Mitzrayim earlier.
It states (1:12) ְרֹץיִפ ֵןוְכ יִרְבֶּה כֵּן אֹתוֹ ַנּוּיְע ֶרֲׁשַאוְכ, "As much as they would afflict them, so they would increase and so they would strengthen." Chazal ask that it should state פרה וכן רבה כן, "So they did increase, and so they did gain strength." Why is it written in the future tense? (see Rashi)
Rashi writes, "This was Dasan and Aviram, the people who left over the manna." Dasan v'Aviram did other aveiros. They were the ones who helped Korach with his machlokes against Moshe and Aharon. Why did Rashi specify the aveirah of leaving over the manna?
Rashi is hinting to us that the reason they fought is because they lacked bitachon. When one has bitachon, he doesn't get into fights because he trusts that his fellow man isn't taking away parnassah from him. Each person has his destiny and hashgachah. This is why Rashi writes that Dasan v'Aviram, the ones who were quarreling, were the same people who left over the manna for the next day. They left over the manna for the next day because they didn't trust in Hashem to support them on the following day. This same lack of bitachon resulted in their dispute.
