ויעבידו מצרים את בני ישראל בפרך (שמות א:יג)

Sefer Shemos talks about גלות מצרים- the Yidden’s exile in Mitzrayim. So why did Hashem give the Torah to the Yidden in Eretz Yisroel after they suffered harsh years in Mitzrayim? It can be explained with a parable.

A wealthy Yid raised an orphan in his home from when he was a baby until his Bar Mitzvah.  The orphan was treated like the other children in the house and took his accommodations for granted.  One day, a poor man knocked at a wealthy person’s house, and the rich Yid gave him a generous donation of one hundred dollars.  The poor man didn’t expect such a gracious donation and heaped the wealthy Yid with blessings.

The rich Yid’s wife heard all the poor man’s brachos and thanks and asked her husband, “Why doesn’t the orphan thank us like that? It seems that he thinks he’s deserving of all?”

The wealthy Yid summoned the orphan and told him that I provided you with food, drink, clothes, and shelter.  But since you are older, you will need to fend for yourself and surely be successful.

The orphan looked at the Yid to see if he really meant it. But the wealthy Yid said that, yes, he means it literally. The orphan packed his bag and started his journey, searching for food and a home where to sleep overnight. He started earning money by carrying other people’s packages and sleeping in a corner of the road where people weren’t around.

After three days, the wealthy Yid sent his servant to find the orphan.  The orphan came, and the Yid told him, “I see the change is hard for you to try and fend for yourself.” He then ordered his servants to prepare the table with good food since the orphan had hungered the past three days. Following each spoonful, the orphan sat down to eat and thanked his host and family for the chesed they did by bringing him back home.

The wealthy Yid told his wife,” Now you see that the orphan acknowledges everything he received. As long as the orphan thought he deserved it all, he didn’t relate to thank.  But now, he understands all the good we do for him.”

The same is true with the Yidden. If Hashem had brought the Yidden into Eretz Yisroel and given them the Torah, Mitzvahs, and all good things, the Yidden wouldn’t have acknowledged all the good. Therefore, Hashem sent the Yidden first to Mitzrayim, where they suffered so that they could recognize the goods Hashem bestowed upon them and thank Him for it.