וְיַעֲקֹב נָסַע סֻּכֹתָה וַיִּבֶן לוֹ בָּיִת וגו' עַל כֵּן קָרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם סֻּכּוֹת (לג, יז)
And Yaakov traveled to Sukkos and he built for himself a house… Therefore, he called the name of the place Sukkos. (33:17)
We may wonder why Yaakov called the place "Sukkos" after the booths he made for his cattle. Why wouldn’t he rather name it "Bayis" after the houses he made for himself and his family, which would seem to be more appropriate?
Sefer Be’eros Hamayim explains that a "sukkah" symbolizes bitachon. When one sits in a sukkah, he is displaying to all that he is not afraid of any man. He is sitting securely, protected only by four thin walls, because he trusts in Hashem to protect him. Someone who lacked bitachon, on the other hand, would fear man and would hide behind fortified walls.
Accordingly, when the pasuk says that Yaakov traveled to Sukkos, it means that his travels are meant to teach us how to have bitachon. It then says: "Vayiven lo bayis." (He built a house.) The word "vayiven" can be translated to mean "understanding" (havanah), and the word "bayis" can be understood to refer to a person’s inner essence. Thus, the pasuk is saying that he came to an understanding of how to implant bitachon within himself. It then says that he made sukkos for his cattle. This means that he also taught the concept of bitachon to his servants and possessions.
The word "bitachon" has a root of "ticha" (to stick). This indicates that one who has bitachon connects and clings to Hashem. Thus, when the pasuk concludes that he called "the place" (hamakom) Sukkos, it means that he called the Omnipresent, i.e., Hashem, by the name of "Sukkos". He gave Hashem a name that represents bitachon because when one has bitachon, he truly connects to Hashem.
With the Power of Bitachon, One is Able to Daven:
Alternatively, Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov zy”a explains that when it says that "he called the place Sukkos" the meaning is that he called the place from which tefillos are accepted by this name, which represents bitachon, because one who has bitachon is able to daven and connect to Hashem.