Page 482 - BERESHIT

Yaakov Avinu sent gifts to Eisav, along with a message that he kept the
mitzvot despite living in Lavan’s house. Yaakov even accounted for
kibbud av v’em by learning its laws. Was Eisav really interested in
Yaakov’s spiritual progress or practice of mitzvot?

Yaakov felt responsibility towards his brother and gave Eisav a lecture on
worldly possessions. True, Yaakov was blessed with enormous wealth.
But the source of this abundance was his merit of continuing in his
father’s ways. Torah is the source of berachah. Money, without Torah, is
a bad investment. The real worth of a person is determined by how he
sticks to his faith and clings to his religion despite all obstacles.

After his meeting with Eisav, Yaakov continued on to a place called
Sukkot, where he built a house. This signifies how our homes in this
world are similar to a sukkah, temporary places of residence. This