The gemara works out that yacov was actually gone for 36 years but is only punished for 22 years bec. the 14 years spent studying torah in the house of eiver overrides the mitzvah to honor his parents. The obvious question is that Yacov was told by both his mother and father to go to the house of Lavan and find a wife (or 2, or 3, or 4), so the time he spent there should not be a violation of honoring his parents, rather a kiyum of honoring them.
The Maharsha asks this question and answers in the name of the Imrei Noam that Eisav was calmed down after the 14 years that Yacov spent in the house of Eiver, so he should have returned home at that point, but he didn't, so he was punished for the remaining 22 years. This peshat seems difficult - since it took 14 years for eisav to calm down (and also to get his wives) so 14 out of 36 were justified as fulfilling kibud av v'aim. How then can the gemara prove that Torah study is more valuable that kibud av v'aim from the fact that he was not punished for the 14 years spent in the yeshiva of eiver? Even without torah being more valuable he should not have been punished since he was justified for 14 years following the command of his parents?
To explain the Maharsha, it seems that had Yacov gone straight to Lavan, the 14 years spent there can be justified in fulfilling his parents wishes. But, since he stopped to study for 14 years, he was not fulfilling the wishes of his parents in any of the 36 years he was away. He should be punished for all 36, but from the fact that he was only punished for 22 we see that Torah study take precedence.
I remember hearing another answer to the maharsha's question (but I can't recall who says it). He was punished only for the 2 years he spent travelling back home, but those to year were a cumulative build up that followed 20 years (or really 34 years) away. Therefore, to punish him for 2 years after 20, Yosef is also gone for 2 years after 20 = 22 years.
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