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Why does the Torah (תורה) emphasize that Yaakov built sukkos (סוכות) for his animals and stayed there 18 months? The shiur develops that Yaakov's name change to Yisrael required him to assume Esav's role—mastery over animals. By building shelters for animals, Yaakov established harmony between mankind and the animal kingdom, reflecting that one Creator made the world. This was the first step toward creating a Torah society that reflects Hashem (ה׳)'s presence.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a perplexing question: Why does the Torah (תורה) record that after Yaakov's climactic confrontation with Esav, he traveled to Sukkos (סוכות) and stayed there 18 months, building sukkos (shelters) for his animals? This seems like an irrelevant digression during a critical period when Yaakov should have been returning to his father and entering Eretz Yisrael proper. The shiur begins by establishing that the separation between Yaakov and Esav was not merely personal but represented a fundamental shift in Yaakov's mission. The malach's announcement that Yaakov's name would become Yisrael signaled a new purpose. Had Yaakov and Esav worked together as originally intended, they would collectively have been "Yisrael." Yaakov would have inherited land west of the Jordan (Eretz Yisrael proper), while Esav would have inherited Ever HaYarden (east of the Jordan). Now that Esav was departing to Seir, Yaakov had to assume Esav's role as well.
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Bereishit 33:17 (Parshat Vayishlach)
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