Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said “Surely, G‑d is in this place, but I did not know it. And he was afraid, and said. “How awesome is this place! This alone is G‑d’s house, and this is the gate to heaven.” (Genesis 28:16-17) There is a problem [with this verse]. Had another person been standing there claiming that it was not G‑d’s house, but another house, such as an inn or something similar, it would have been correct to tell him: “It’s not as you say. This alone is G‑d’s house!” But since there was no one there to contradict him, why did he say it that way? He should have said: “This is surely G‑d’s house!” This can be explained with the Gemara: “Rabbi Yinai proclaimed, ‘Woe to one who lacks a courtyard, but makes a gate to the courtyard!”¹ According to Rashi, the Torah is the gate that leads to the fear of G‑d.² Now, it is known that before going to Haran, Jacob learned Torah for fourteen years in the study hall of Shem [and Ever].³ Yet, during that entire time, he never felt the awe of G‑d that he felt on Mount Moriah, the place of the Holy Temple.⁴ Therefore, he said, “Since I see how awesome this place is, I decree and declare that this alone is G‑d’s house. This is His main dwelling place. As it says: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer…’ (Isaiah 56:7).⁵ And all that I learned in the study hall of Shem is only the gate to heaven; it is only the gate to fear.” Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 5c

footnotes: ¹ Shabbat 31b. Meaning, woe to one who studies Torah (the “gate”), but has no fear of G‑d (the “courtyard”). ² Yoma 72b. ³ Megilah 17a. ⁴ The Midrash states that Jacob slept at the place of the future Holy Temple. See Rashi on the verses above. ⁵ The Baal Shem Tov puts this verse in the mouth of Jacob, as if he said it.