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Thus all that Jacob did contained a deep symbolic purpose. Further it is written: AND JACOB TOOK RODS OF FRESH POPLAR, ETC. R. Eleazar discoursed here on the verse: For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israelfor his own treasure (Ps. 135, 4). ‘From the actual words of the original’, he said, ‘we could not tell whether it was the Lord who chose Jacob or vice-versa. That the former is meant we know from the parallel verse which says: “For the portion of the Lord is his people, Jacob the lot of his inheritance” (Deut. 32, 9).
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Nevertheless, it is also true that Jacob on his part, too, has chosen his heritage and his portion, and, rising above all intermediate grades, has taken for his lot “rods of fresh poplar” (libneh= white), symbolic of the white grade of the Right side, and “of the almond and of the plane-tree”, symbolic of the red grade of the Left side;
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“and peeled with streaks in them”, signifying that he removed severity from the Left, and linked the Left with the Right, while he entered between and laid hold of both of them together, so that there resulted one united blend of two colours, but at the same time “making the white appear”, i.e. predominate over the red. Why all this? So as to draw to the grade which was his own portion blessings from the universal well-spring, and to place that grade, which is the third, “in the gutters in the watering-troughs”,
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as has been already explained. Now from these operations of Wisdom blessings flow to the lower world, and all worlds are watered and beatified, as it says: “In the morning he devoureth the prey” (Gen. 49, 27), and after that: “and at even he divideth the spoil” (Ibid.), so that the blessings pass to all the lower worlds. Jacob, too, took his portion of those blessings that rested upon him in this world, inasmuch as he is the portion and lot of the Holy One, blessed be He.’