How many stones did Yaakov take when he lay down to sleep?

(28,11) "…and he took some stones from the place and placed them at his head."

Rashi brings from the gemara in Chulin 91b that there is a contradiction between posukim; here it writes "he took some stones from the place", but in posuk 18 it says "he took the stone which he had placed at his head". Said R. Yitzchok: This teaches that all the stones gathered together in one place and started to quarrel with each other, each one saying: Let the Tzaddik rest his head upon me! Immediately, Hashem made them into one stone, and thus the subsequent posuk says that Yaakov took one stone. Now, Tosafos in the gemara says that the simple explanation of the posuk is that Yaakov took one stone from the stones of the place. If so, we have to ask on Rashi, why did he not give the simple explanation here as he does normally?

However, we can explain that the less simple explanation is in fact essential, because our Rabbis have received the rule that we "take away, add and expound", and they proved this rule from the posuk in Vayikra (16,18) "ולקח מדם הפר ומדם השעיר", which is understood to mean "he shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the he-goat". But if we were to explain this posuk simply, we would have to say that it means "he shall take from the blood the bull, and from the blood the bull", which is clearly impossible. Therefore, we must say that the letter 'mem' from the word מדם belongs to the word הפר, and we must take away from one word, and add it to the other and then learn the posuk. And so the correct understanding is ולקח דם מהפר ודם מהשעיר - "and he shall take blood from the bull and blood from the he-goat".

According to this, we must similarly explain our posuk - ויקח מאבני המקום. Because the simple reading would be "and he took from the stones the place". Unless we take away the letter 'mem' from the word מאבני, and add it to the word המקום, and so it thus reads ויקח אבני מהמקום - "and he took stones from the place".

If so, this posuk mentions that he took several stones, and the other posuk says that he later took one stone. Perforce, we must say like Chazal expounded, that because of their quarreling they were made into one stone.

Which Beis El did Shaul go to?

(28,19) "And he called the name of the place Beis El (House of G-d)."

Behold, Yaakov called three different places by the name Beis E-l. Here he called it simply Beis E-l. Later on, in parshas Vayishlach (35,7), he called it E-l Beis E-l, and in posuk (15) after Hashem blessed him, he called it Elo-him Beis E-l. And so it is written by Shaul (Shmuel l 10,3) "three men going up to Elo-him Beis E-l". (Thus we see that it was the third place that is called Beis E-l that is mentioned by Shaul).

Why did Lavan call yaakov his bone and flesh?

(29,14) "And Lavan said: Indeed, you are my bone and my flesh."

It says in the gemara Niddah 31a that there are three partners in the formation of a person - the father, the mother, and Hashem. The father produces the sinews and the bones, and the mother produces the flesh and the blood. According to this, someone is related only on the side of the father is called "of one bone", and someone who is related only on the side of the mother is called "of one flesh".

Now, Lavan was related to Yaakov both on the side of his father, Yitzchok, and on the side of his mother, Rivkah. Because Avrohom and Nachor were brothers, and Yaakov was a grandson of Avrohom, and Lavan a grandson of Nachor. And Rivkah was Lavan' sister. Therefore, Lavan said to Yaakov, "Indeed, you are my bone and my flesh".

This is what is written in Divrei Hayomim (l 11,1) "And all Yisrael gathered to Dovid in Chevron, saying: Behold, we are your bone and your flesh". Because Doeg said to Dovid: Instead of asking if you are fitting to be king, ask whether you are even fit to enter the congregation. This challenge was because Dovid came from Ruth the Moabitess, and there was a question whether a Moabitess was accepted as a convert.

Therefore, when the people came to crown Dovid as king, they started by saying "we are your bone and flesh", that is, you are a complete Yisrael - both on the side of your mother and on the side of your father.