The book of Bereishit ended on a note of triumph for the family of Ya’akov.  His children are reunited, and though they are living in Egypt, theirs is a position of relative privilege and Yosef remains in power.  When Ya’akov dies, Yosef makes good on his promise and buries his father’s body in the land of Cana’an.  However, when we enter the book of Shemot, the fortunes of the people of Israel are sharply reversed.  With the passing of Yosef and his generation, their progeny are now enslaved and oppressed.