worked for one wife, then he worked for another wife, and then he needed to earn a bit of a livelihood for himself. This was all a prelude for the final stage of his life. Now, Yaakov is coming back to Eretz Yisroel. In today’s terminology, he is finally “settling down.”
Yaakov makes a decision. He said to himself, when I was by Lavan, I saw what is involved in earning a living. I saw how Lavan acts. I am now beginning “the rest of my life.” I have seen enough of life to know that materialism (gashmiyus) and the struggle to make a living and all other mundane pursuits in this world can become a person’s raison d’etre — they can become the reason for a person’s existence. I do not want this to happen to me because I know that the only thing that counts in this world is spirituality (ruchniyus) and service of Hashem. All the rest is just peripheral. It may be necessary, but it is only a means to an end.
So therefore, when the pasuk says that Yaakov traveled to Succos, it is not referring to the name of that town. It is referring to this concept that a person must look at his pursuit of gashmiyus — the material things in life — houses, livelihood, cattle — as merely just travelling “to Succos.” It is all temporary. A person cannot take it with him. All these acquisitions are not going to make a bit of difference after 120 years. They are all transitory. They are like a succah. When someone is out camping, he does not put up a house for his ten-day camping trip. People put up tents, because it is just a temporary situation. Yaakov traveled to Succos: “Now I am starting my life — I have finished with Lavan, I have finished with Eisav – so now I am beginning. My mindset is to Succos.” I called the name of the city I would live in “Temporary Huts” [Succos] because I am making a statement for myself and for my children that this entire world must be viewed in the context of a temporary dwelling — “Succos.”
With this idea, the Milchemes Yehudah interprets a puzzling Gemara (Shabbos 33a). After mentioning that Yaakov named the city Succos, the next pasuk says, “Yaakov came intact to the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, upon his coming from Paddan-aram, and he encamped before the city (va’yichan es pnai ha’ir)” (Bereishis 33:18). The Gemara asks, what does “he encamped before the city” mean? The Gemara gives three interpretations: Rav answers, “He minted a coin for them” (matbeah tiken lahem). Shmuel answers, “He founded marketplaces for them (shevakim tiken lahem).” Rav Yochanon says, “He founded for them bath houses (merchatzaos tiken lahem).”
This is strange. Yaakov arrives in Shechem and he suddenly decides to invent a monetary system? He invents shopping malls? He brings in spas? What does this mean?
The Milchemes Yehudah says that Yaakov came into this city after he established this principle that the whole world must be looked at as “Succos.” He asked himself — what consumes these people? Number 1 — coinage; Number 2 — shopping; Number 3 — spas — the good life. He told them, “My friends, you have it all wrong. This is not the way to live. You must view your major activities in life from a different perspective.”
According to the Milchemes Yehudah’s reading of the Gemara, the words tiken lahem in each of the three opinions does not mean “he founded” or “he established,” as the simple reading of the Talmudic text might lead us to believe. He interprets the verb tiken to mean, “he fixed or improved” (from the infinitive l’saken — to fix). Rav interprets that Yaakov tried to teach them the proper perspective they should have about money. It is not everything in life! Shmuel says that he did not establish marketplaces. On the contrary, he tried to convince them that shopping is not the be-all and end-all of existence. There is no mitzvah to stand nine hours in line at night to buy a 31-inch television set at a discounted price. Finally, Rabbi Yochanan said he tried to “fix” their attitude towards bath houses — just to live an epicurean existence, luxuriating for hours on end in warm soapy water is not what this world is all about.
Tiken does not mean he invented. He tried to be “mesaken” — to correct their perspective in each of the three areas of life cited by these three Rabbinic opinions.
This is what Succos is all about, and we can now understand very well why Succos corresponds to Yaakov Avinu. (Adapted from a devar Torah by R’ Frand in Parshas Vayishlach)
