ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף בראשית 31:38

When contemplating the tremendous expenditure of energy and the suffering of untold hardship that Jacob underwent during the twenty years he stayed at Laban (see his own testimony in Genesis 31,38-42), we must ask what prompted him to spend that much effort on the acquisition of what appear to be merely material goods. In view of the many complimentary comments about Jacob throughout the Bible, it is clear that Jacob's motivation lay in his endeavor to found the house of Israel with its twelve tribes (compare Bereshit Rabbah on "Laban had two daughters").