In this week's parasha , the Torah, in two different places, mentions the fact that when the Jewish people were leaving Egypt, Hashem gave them חן in the eyes of the Mitzrim , and the Mitzrim gave them their gold and silver and clothing. In parashat Shemot as well, the Torah repeats the same thing. Why was this such an important fact that the Torah needed to tell us three different times? Rabbi Menashe Reisman quoted the Steipler who gave a wondrous explanation. As we know, Hashem could have taken out His nation with just one makkah . The reason He did ten makkot is like the pesukim tell us, to give us emunah in Him. With the first set of makkot , it says, בזאת תדע כי אני ה '. Regarding the second set of makkot , we were taught אני ה' בקרב הארץ . And in the final set of makkot taught us כי אין כמוני בכל הארץ . But even after all the makkot , Hashem did not yet prove that He is in charge of the thoughts and will of every person in the world. We know the hearts of kings are in the hands of Hashem, like it says לב מלך ביד ה '. But what about the rest of the people? Here is where Hashem showed us His complete control over people. After the Mitzrim experienced a total devastation of their land and suffered thousands of deaths, the Jews then asked them if they could have their expensive jewelry and gold and silver utensils. Let's try to imagine exactly what the Mitzrim were feeling at that time. Many of their children had died of thirst during Makkat Dam , as well as the other makkot . How much trauma did they have from the wild animals taking over their land and their homes? They still had the wounds on their bodies from the boils and the lice. After Makkat Barad , there was nothing left in the fields to eat, and after Makkat Arbeh , there was a complete hunger. They were totally frozen for three straight days during Makkat Choshech . And then, on the day of Makkat Behorot , after their god was roasted and the aroma filled the land, the Jewish people knocked on their doors and asked them to please part with their precious, expensive utensils. In the normal way of the world, the Egyptians should have slammed the door on their faces saying, how dare you ask us for something after what you did to us? Yet, Hashem made the Jews find favor in the eyes of the Mitzrim . Every Mitzri not only gave them their expensive utensils, they even offered the Jews more than they asked for. This was a bigger miracle than any of the other makkot . Here, Hashem showed us that people are just puppets. He can change their minds in an instant. This lesson was vital for us to learn, because the only way we can be true servants of Hashem, is if we know we don't have to be servants to anybody else. So long as we think we need to do things to find favor in other people's eyes, we run the risk of not serving Hashem the way we're supposed to. When a buyer asks his customer to take him somewhere that doesn't conform to the codes of Judaism, the customer needs strength to tell that buyer he's not allowed to go there. When a businessman has an inclination to skip minyan and/or learning Torah to go to work early, he needs strength to know that all of the customers are making their decisions whether or not to buy his product according to the will of Hashem. If he honestly believes that, he will know that his main hishtadlut is tefila and Torah, and the rest is just going through the motions. What makes a customer choose one product over another, when there are dozens of the same product selling? Hashem gives חן to the one He wants the customer to buy, and that's the one he buys. What makes a man choose a woman to marry? Hashem gives her חן in that man's eyes. Hashem is the only one in charge of everything, including people's minds. Let us internalize this fact and put His will before anybody else's.