Upon his arrival in Eretz Canaan, why doesn’t Yaakov go straight home to his parents in Hebron? After all, he has been away from his parents for over twenty years!
Secondly, why doesn’t Yaakov return immediately to Bet-el to fulfill his “neder” [vow]? Hadn’t he promised God that ‘should he return home safely’ he would establish a ‘Bet Elokim’ in Bet-el (see 28:21-22)?
However, instead of doing what we would have expected, it appears from Parshat Vayishlach that Yaakov prefers to settle down in Shechem. Then, only AFTER the incident with Dena, and only after God reminds him that he must do so, he finally returns to Beit-el. [See 33:18-35:1.
So what’s going on in Parshat Vayishlach?
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