Why did Yaakov need to build a house? Seeing as he was merely traveling, why could he not rent one from the locals?
Ramban: Either because Sukos was a barren place, not a town, or he built a fortification to protect himself against Esav.
Malbim: The house was a fixed place for Avodas Hashem. The Sukos were for his flock and property - it is Arai (haphazard), just like a Sukah is an Arai dwelling.
How long did Yaakov stay in Sukos?
Rashi, from Megilah 17a: The verse mentions Sukos, Bayis and Sukos again. This hints that Yaakov spent 18 months 1 there - two summers and one winter. 2
Targum Yonasan: Yaakov spent 12 months 3 there. He built a Bayis (Beis-ha'Midrash), and huts for his animals.
It is essential to know this, in order to make up the twenty-two years that Yaakov did not fulfill the Mitzvah of Kibud Av (See Rashi to 37:34).
According to the Ramban, he built the house for his family and the huts for his animals simultaneously (See Sifsei Chachamim).
Some texts say eighteen months, like Rashi. See Perush Yonasan and Na'ar Yonasan. Above (to 32:25), Perush Yonasan said that Rachel was pregnant with Binyamin before meeting Esav. If so, she was pregnant more than a year, plus the time in Shechem...! Perhaps the Torah is out of order; refer to 31:35:151:2*.
What is so special about the fact that he built Sukos for his animals? Why did he not name the place 'Bayis'?
Oznayim la'Torah: The people of Shechem where overwhelmed by the amount of livestock that Yaakov owned 1 and by the way he looked after them by building them shelters, 2 so they called the new area 'Sukos.' And Yaakov followed suit.
Ohr ha'Chayim: Yaakov was the first one to make booths for his flocks amidst compassion for them. "Sukosah" (as opposed to l'Sukos) implies that it did not have this name before he came.
Oznayim la'Torah: The gift that he sent to Esav was merely a tenth (Ma'aser) of what he owned! (According to Bereishis Rabah 73:11, that he had 600,000 or 1,200,000 flocks, it was a miniscule portion of his possessions! - PF.)
See Oznayim la'Torah, who elaborates on Yaakov's actions and Chamor and Shechem's reaction to what they saw.
Surely animals do not need Sukos. A fence suffices for them!
Ha'amek Davar: Indeed, the Sukos were for him and his family. The Torah means that he delayed there [two summers, 18 months in all] due to his flock; he understood that it needed to rest this long. 1
Refer to 33:17:3:2.
Harchev Davar: Even so, he was punished for delaying his vow [to serve Hashem in Beis El]. It is a very difficult balance (which has precedence - caring for his flock, or his vow). He erred.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "He remained there [in Sukos] for 18 months -- summer, winter, and summer [again]." How is this derived?
Gur Aryeh #1: If the Sukos were erected only for the animals, would Yaakov have named the place after his animals' accommodations? It must be that the people also used the Sukos, in season. 1 Sukos received its name at the end of the verse, because Yaakov named it near the end of his stay, due to their repeated use.
Gur Aryeh #2: At the incident in Shechem, Shimon and Levi were already 13 years old. 2 Levi was at most 11 1/2 when they left Lavan; they must have tarried on the journey for at least eighteen months.
Gur Aryeh: Then why are only the animals mentioned? Refer to 33:17:2.2:1.
Gur Aryeh: They are both referred to as "Ish" (34:25) in that account.
Rashi writes: "He remained there for 18 months -- summer, winter, and summer." If the people used the Sukos as well, why does the verse state that "he made Sukos for his animals"?
