The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
Rabbi Frand began by remarking that the Rashi on Bereishis 29:35 in which Leah gives birth to Yehuda and gives thanks (וַתַּ֨הַר ע֜וֹד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֨עַם֙ אוֹדֶ֣ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָֽרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַתַּֽעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת ). Rashi there states that Leah remarks that she has received more than her share and therefore thanks Hashem for her fourth child.
This would imply that if she only received her share she would not need to give thanks?
Furthermore the Gemara in Berachos states that until Leah said thanks here, no one had said thanks to Hashem before. R' Frand was troubled by this as Noach brought sacrifices as thanks and Eliezer when he found Rivka bowed down and said thanks.
R' Frand gave an answer from R' Benzion Kook to each question. He stated that each of the Imahos knew that there would be 12 sons and that they would all bear children. But they thought that each would have 3 sons and now Leah saw that was not set in stone. She saw that she had 4, which meant that another would have less than three and possibly only two. Seeing this, Leah had a reason to give thanks on what took place previously, because even having three was not a given and I had taken it for granted. Now that I took more than my share, I see that it was not even predestined that I would have three and I give thanks for what I have.
He then answered the second question, noting that the other thanks were for exceptional events. Noach gave thanks for being saved when the world was being destroyed. Eliezer gave thanks for being able to find Rivka when he did not know who he was looking for. But a natural event like having children - no one said thanks for that until now.
R' Kook then tied this into the end of the pasuk which says that after Leah had Yehuda she stopped having children. Why? Because the Gemara states that even when giving thanks for the past, one must cry for the future. And Leah had no prayers for the future, thus she temporarily stopped having children.
He closed the vort by saying that the only beracha in Shemoneh Esreh which gives thanks is Modim in which we both thank Hashem for the past and add "Me'Olam Kivinu Lach" - and I am hoping for the future as well.
R' Frand said a second vort on a Rashi on Bereishis 28:17 which states וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם. Rashi states that Ya'akov got to Charan and realized that he had not prayed at Har HaMoriah, so he went back there to pray and then has the dream of the ladder. Rashi states that he had "kevitzas haderech" but this was not the kind that Eliezer had. Instead of having a shorter trip, the Har HaMoriah came to him in Bes El.
The Ramban questions this Rashi and states that this is the standard kevitzas haderech, the trip took shorter than it should, but the land did not move.
R' Frand then quoted a sefer which he did not identify which explains Rashi's view of the miracle. The explanation was based on a story involving a Jew named R' Yankel Tiktiner who was a great student in the Mirrer yeshiva. One day he received a draft notice from the Polish army and when he appeared at the draft board, they selected him as he was very fit. He returned to the yeshiva despondent and he spoke with R' Laizer Yudel Finkel who said that we will do what we can to get you out. But unfortunately he was unsuccessful. At that point he told R' Yankel, you are not leaving the yeshiva. Instead we will make you the first student in the branch of the Mirrer yeshiva in the Polish army. But this was not a joke, as he required him to send a chiddush each month and in exchange, he will send a check. And so it went, every month he sent a chiddush and each month he got a check.
Until one month he sent a chiddush and did not receive a check. He was worried and sent a follow up letter and R' Finkel responded - the chiddush this month was too similar to one that you sent last year, so no check.
At the end of his tour in the army, R' Yankel returned to the yeshiva and had not lost a step and continued with his studies. R' Frand explained that this was because the yeshiva came with him to the army. And this was the reason that the Beis Hamikdash came to Ya'akov, to show him that even when he was going to Charan, the Beis Hamikdash can still come with you.
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