And he came upon the place and lodged there because the sun had set, and he took from the stones of the place and placed them at his head, and he lay down in that place.
English: It was taught: Yaakov instituted the evening prayer, as it is stated “And he came upon the place and lodged there”; and “coming upon” means nothing other than prayer, as it is stated “And you, do not pray on behalf of this people… and do not intercede with Me.”
On the daf / in context: Berachos 26b attributes the three daily prayers to the Avos; Maariv is derived from Yaakov’s “vayifga.”
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The verb “paga” is equated with prayer by gezerah shavah to Yirmiyahu 7:16.
What Is Learned
Yaakov established Tefillas Maariv; the evening prayer therefore shares patriarchal origin with Shacharis and Minchah.