Indeed, the very act of imposing slavery on the people of Israel was a great act of ingratitude on the part of Pharaoh. After all, the children of Israel are the family of Joseph, the sons and brothers of the angelic savior sent to the land of Egypt to rescue them from the ravages of famine. Joseph revealed the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, advised him to gather and store grain under Pharaoh's authority during the seven years of plenty, and managed and sustained the land of Egypt with wisdom and understanding throughout the years of this severe crisis. Is there a more despicable and reprehensible form of ingratitude than taking the family of this man and reducing them to base and despised slaves, forced to perform hard labor?

Even the Torah emphasized this by stating (Exodus 1:8): "A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph," and as Rashi comments: "Who did not know—he acted as if he did not know."