“And I will give the favor of this people” etc. (ibid). The Egyptians will come to see you as a nation, a people with dignity and no longer look upon you as slaves. Some might have thought that the Egyptians chased the Jews out of Egypt because they had become lepers. The Torah tells us just the opposite: that they left with tremendous self-respect and dignity. One aspect of this self-respect was their departing with great material wealth, rechush gadol. “V’nitzaltem es Mitzrayim” (Shemos 3:22): Rashi explains V’nitzaltem as derived from the verb to save. That is to say that you shall save something for yourself when you leave: you shall save your dignity and earn great respect in the eyes of the Egyptians. As it says that Moshe gained great respect in the eyes of the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh (Shemos 11:3).
Why use different terminology, neighbors and house mates in one verse and friends in the other? The Gemara teaches us that the term rei’eihu applies exclusively to a Jew. Hashem wanted the Jews to share the wealth among themselves. A Jew living in a more affluent Egyptian neighborhood would take more wealth from his neighbors than the Jew who lived in a less affluent area. Hashem wanted the Jews to distribute the wealth more equitably. This was an extreme act of chesed, charity, that bound the people together and demonstrated their sense of common destiny. Similarly, Rambam writes (in Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:2), “Would not a brother take pity on his brother?” If Jews do not look after their own brothers and take pity on them, who will? The different terminology reflects the desire that each Jew take possessions from their Egyptian neighbors and that they in turn should redistribute the wealth among themselves so that all Bnei Yisrael would enjoy equivalent wealth.
After the Jews left Egypt, Hashem asked them to give up a part of their wealth to build a Mishkan for Hashem (V’yikchu li terumah) (Shemos 25:2). A freed slave, who has had nothing of his own, finds it extremely difficult to willingly give up any part of his newfound possessions. To show that they were truly free men and women, Bnei Yisrael had to demonstrate their willingness to give up some of their own wealth for a higher cause. Bnei Yisrael answered this call, particularly the women, who were most eager to part with their finest jewelry for the sake of building the Mishkan of Hashem. The women came forward with greater zeal than the men: “Vayavo’u ha’anashim al hanashim” (Shemos 35:22).