307. Jacob meant to perform the following act wisely, NAMELY, TO DIRECT HIS ACTIONS ACCORDING TO SUPERNAL GRADES, as it is written, "And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar" (Beresheet 30:37). Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion with the verse, "For Yah has chosen Jacob to Himself, Yisrael for His peculiar possession" (Tehilim 135:4). Come and behold, we do not know from the verse, "For Yah has chosen Jacob to Himself," who chose whom. Did the Holy One, blessed be He, choose Jacob, or did Jacob choose the Holy One, blessed be He. IN HEBREW, IT CAN BE INTERPRETED BOTH WAYS. HE ANSWERS, From what the scripture tells us, I know that the Holy One, blessed be He, took Jacob for Himself as His portion. As it is written, "For Hashem's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance" (Devarim 32:9).
308. Come and behold, Jacob also chose his inheritance and lot as his portion; he rose above all the grades and took as his portion, "rods of fresh poplar (Heb. livneh)," namely, the white (Heb. lavan) grade of the right side, and "almond and plane tree," the red grade of the left side.
309. "...And peeled white streaks in them..." He removed the Judgment FROM THE ALMOND AND THE PLANE TREE THAT ARE OF THE LEFT, and connected them to the right. He himself, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, came between them and brought them together so that they became one with two colors. With all that, he "made the white appear" IN SUCH A MANNER that the white dominated the red. Why should he do that? To pour blessings on his portion, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, from the universal source, and to perfect this grade by the three COLUMNS, so the three COLUMNS shall become as one.
310. We already explained the verse, "in the gutters in the watering troughs." By this wise act, BY THE PERFECTION OF THE THREE COLUMNS, blessings flow downward; all the worlds are watered, and blessings dwell on them, as was explained when discussing the verses, "in the morning he shall devour the prey" (Beresheet 49:27), and, then "at night he shall divide the spoil" (Ibid.). Then all the worlds below will be blessed, THE THREE WORLDS OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH, AND ASIYAH. And Jacob took his portion from the blessings which dwell on him below, because it is the lot of the Holy One, blessed be He.
311. Sitrei Torah (Secrets of the Torah). "And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar..." The intention of this act was for the bonds of Faith - TO DRAW THREE KNOTS, THE THREE COLUMNS, ON THE NUKVA, CALLED 'FAITH.' The sound of sounds was brought from above downward, and our eyes opened. HE EXPLAINED, The wheel turned a few times and the melodious sound was heard. Those who slumber and sleep, who have sleep in their eye sockets, awake! They do not know, or look, or see, for they shut their ears, heavy hearted, asleep without knowledge. The Torah is before them, yet they pay not attention, nor know what they look at. They see, yet do not see. The Torah raises sounds. Behold, fools, open your eyes, and know. But there is no one to notice, no one to lend an ear. How long will you be in darkness because of your evil desires? Look to know, and the shining light shall be revealed to you.
312. As a result of his problems in a foreign country and rule with strange grades, INSTEAD OF IN THE HOLY LAND, honest Jacob rejected them all and chose as his inheritance - NAMELY, WITHIN THE CENTRAL COLUMN - a light out of darkness, THE RIGHT COLUMN, and wisdom out of stupidity, THE LEFT COLUMN. He honored his Master while still under foreign rule IN PADDAN ARAM, HE BEING THE CENTRAL COLUMN. Then it was said of him, "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now grow pale" (Yeshayah 29:22). End of Sitrei Torah (Secrets of the Torah).
313. Tosefta (Addendum). The pure knot rose in the innermost place. Before it found an inhabited place, that place did not exist; it was lost to all, and ruin was everywhere. Ruin alludes to the male, Samael, who was created from the impurities of the might of Isaac. Death is its female, the primordial serpent called a 'wife of harlotry,' about whom it is written, "Her feet go down to death" (Mishlei 5:5). These two, Ruin and Death, listened to the strong commandment of the King.
314. There is a deeply held mystery, undisclosed and not revealed, that is, hidden more than any thought. From it came the letter Yud, the supernal point from which everything else develops. THE YUD drew and issued the letter Hei, the supernal mother, who waters all. From this Hei comes the letter Vav, the secret of the six SFIROT, which unites all the sides. It is " the rods of fresh poplar and almond and plane tree."
315. It contains two arms. THE ARMS come out and are included within the last Hei, to bind the tabernacle into one. Then the thirteen attributes of Mercy become one, AS THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF ECHAD ('ONE') IS THIRTEEN. White was engraved on the colors and predominates, as it is written, "white appear." Then it reads, "Hashem shall be one and His name One" (Zecharyah 14:9) and "Hashem is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me in the paths of Righteousness" (Tehilim 23:1). End of Tosefta (Addendum).
316. Sitrei Torah (Secrets of the Torah). "And Jacob took him," means that he chose his lot and portion. "The rod of fresh (also: 'moist') poplar," is the Right COLUMN, the white color. It is moist, FROM THE ASPECT of water, CHASSADIM. The almond is the Left COLUMN, red as a rose, and the plane tree combines them together, BEING THE RIGHT COLUMN, WHICH CAUSES THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT TO BE INCLUDED WITHIN EACH OTHER. Right embraces and overpowers them through its WHITE color, as it is written, "white appears." THIS INDICATES THAT THOUGH ZEIR ANPIN, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, is connected to the two Columns, RIGHT AND LEFT, its lot is with the Right Column. It engraved THE ILLUMINATION OF THE RIGHT on both COLUMNS. He was then called a 'perfect man,' complete in every respect.