When faced with the request to let the Israelites go into the desert, Pharaoh responds with more than just a simple refusal. He escalates the oppression through a calculated economic and psychological decree. He forces the enslaved people to gather their own straw while demanding they produce the exact same number of bricks as before. The primary approach among commentators is that this requirement represents a precise, strictly defined daily quota ([רש״י, אבן עזרא, שד״ל]). This was not merely a general demand but a deeply cruel strategy. Pharaoh did not impose a national quota, which would have allowed the Israelites to divide the labor among themselves, with some gathering straw and others making bricks. Instead, he demanded that every single individual continue to meet their previous personal daily quota, making the task physically impossible ([רש״ר הירש]).
A different perspective suggests that Pharaoh's new quota is based specifically on the production levels of the previous two days. During those two days, the Israelites were distracted by their cries for freedom and their desire to offer sacrifices, resulting in fewer bricks being made. Pharaoh cynically establishes this recently reduced output as the new permanent law. By forcing them to gather straw as well, he claims he is not committing an injustice, but simply keeping them busy ([המלבי״ם]). He justifies his harshness by accusing them of being lazy and looking for excuses to avoid work ([רש״י, העמק דבר, ביאור יש״ר]). This accusation mirrors the shallow, cruel logic used by oppressors throughout history: if slaves have the time to think about freedom or spiritual pursuits, it is a sign that they are not working hard enough ([קאסוטו, בכור שור]).
Because Pharaoh does not know God and has never seen the Hebrews engage in such worship, he dismisses their request as the foolishness of idle slaves ([ביאור שטיינזלץ]). Understanding their audience, Moses and Aaron adapt their message. They speak to an idol-worshipping king who only understands generic concepts of divinity, so they refer to God using a general term rather than His explicit name ([העמק דבר]).
Beyond the physical burden, Pharaoh's decree is a psychological weapon. The Israelites may have begun to feel that God was already improving their situation and lightening their load, prompting their desire to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Recognizing this fragile hope, Pharaoh deliberately intensifies the labor to break their spirit and prove that no relief is on the horizon. Alternatively, Pharaoh suspects the Israelites intend to leave for a few days and promise to make up the lost work upon their return through extra effort. By demanding the full quota immediately while adding the burden of gathering straw, he aims to prove to them that they are completely incapable of making up any lost time ([אור החיים]).