How Awesome is this Place!

(19) וזה שער השמים AND THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN — a place of prayer where their prayers would ascend to heaven. The Midrash states (Genesis Rabbah 69) that the Heavenly Temple is situated immediately opposite the Earthly Temple (so that the Temple at Jerusalem-Bethel may be styled “the gate” to the Heavenly Temple)

(18) ויאמר מה נורא המקום הזה, since I saw such an awe-inspiring vision here the whole place is an awesome place, not to be approached except modestly and in a state of ritual purity.

(19) אין זה כי אם בית אלוקים, this place is suitable only for becoming a House of G’d, a house devoted to God wherein to pray and to offer sacrifices. Another explanation of Yaakov’s exclamation could be that he concluded that the only reason he had been shown the vision was to stimulate him to erect a House of G’d there.

(20) וזה שער השמים, an expression analogous to Chronicles II 30,27 ותבא תפלתם למעון קדשו לשמים, “their prayer reached the residence of His Holiness, to heaven.”

(17) "Shaken, he said..." He felt that his heart was moved to fear on its own, and gave a reason for this when he said "this is none other than the abode of God." He was careful to use the Divine name Elohim, because this is the source of fear, as it is written "...and God (Elohim) made it so that they fear Him." (Kohelet 3:14) It is known that the name Elohim strikes fear in the heart of man. When Yaakov said "this is the gate..." he meant that the place aligned with it above is the gate of heaven. This is why he used the word 'this' (zeh) twice. He also intended to explain the lofty status of the place by saying that this is the House of God, a physical place preceded by the knowledge that God had chosen a place to cause His name to dwell. He said 'this is that place!' He proved further that this was the chosen place when he said 'this is the gate of heaven.' Yaakov said this because he saw angels rising and descending, and he already knew that the sacred place below was aligned with the gate of heaven:

And R’ Elazar said: what does it mean “And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Yaakov…” (Isaiah 2:3) The God of Yaakov and not the God of Avraham and Yitzchak? Rather: not like Avraham in connection to whom it is written ‘mountain,’ as it says “…as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.” (Bereshit 22:14) And not like Yitzchak in connection to whom it is written ‘field,’ as it says “And Yitzchak went out to pray in the field…” (Bereshit 24:63) Rather like Yaakov, whom called it a house, as it says “And he named the place Beth El…” (Bereshit 28:19)