(ה) מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(5) How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!
Why has this verse become so popular in our liturgy? Is there anything that seems odd about this verse?
"טובו" can be understood to be "fair" in the sense that it is "perfection in all respects--beauty and charm, simplicity and purity." - Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bemidbar
"The physical image of Israel is the reflection of its spiritual being." - Plaut, 2006
(כו) וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְיִצְחָ֛ק בֶּן־שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּלֶ֥דֶת אֹתָֽם׃
(26) And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when Rebecca bore them.
What do we then know about Jacob? Is this good or bad?
Sforno on Numbers 24:5:2
The very name יעקב... contains such a dual meaning. On the one hand it appears to have a negative connotation, but it also symbolizes עקב a heel, something at the tail end of matters, meaning after everything else has already disappeared the עקב still remains, endures.
(כט) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃
(29) And he said: ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’
(א) לא יקרא שמך עוד יעקב. לבדו כי גם ישראל
(1) Your name shall no longer be called Jacob. alone, because you will also be called Israel.