Our forefathers experienced a long and arduous period of slavery in Mitzrayim at the hands of Pharaoh, the cruel and wicked king. Pharaoh was afraid that B’nei Yisrael would unite and revolt against him. To prevent this, he devised a plan, together with his advisors, to break the Yidden, both physically and morally, by enslaving them. Klal Yisrael, however, remained strong and did not lose their faith and sense of unity despite the harsh conditions the cruel king imposed on them. In his desperation to crush their spirit, Pharaoh started coming up with new ways to humiliate and oppress B’nei Yisrael.
When Moshe and Aharon approached Pharaoh and demanded the release of the Jews from the land of Egypt, Pharaoh's fear intensified. In response, he immediately issued a new decree. He told the taskmasters and overseers, "לֹא ... ות תֵתָל ן ופִסאֹת", they may no longer provide the slaves with the straw they needed for making bricks, and instead they should force them to gather their own straw. Despite this new decree, the quota of bricks that the Yidden were required to produce remained the same.
Pharaoh reasoned that this new, heavier workload would distract the Yidden from any “false” hope of redemption, as their minds would be completely consumed with fulfilling their quotas.
The Midrash (שמו"ר ה יח) tells us that at this time, Pharaoh also prohibited Klal Yisrael from resting on Shabbos. The Jewish people used to gather every Shabbos to learn from the scrolls they had with them. These scrolls contained prophecies that foretold their eventual release from slavery and their freedom from the bondage of Egypt. Through studying these teachings, they found comfort, hope, and strength that helped them maintain their faith in Hashem and His promises. Pharaoh perceived this as a dangerous act threatening his authority. This is what Pharaoh was referring to when he said "־יֵרְבִדְּב ועְׁשִי־לַאְו שׁ ָקֶּר " - "and they should no longer be occupied with false ideas."
