Ayey?!

"And I have heard in the name of my Master that 'lishmoh' [lit. for her sake] is for the sake of the word and the letter itself, to connect her to her roots"

Toldes, introduction, 3d

The letters are where gods infinite light is stored (MDL 47)

"and he explicitly said to ask {ones needs} from the letters" and he explains it to be "of the mystery of the light that is within them and to ask from there" (Degel, yisro, D"H v'yesh bozeh)

This is more of an active prayer and learning meditation not a theory; "for permission was not granted to expand on this [to explain its details logically to others], for it is understood by itself [to those who practice the technique]" (BPY, 29c, talking about another Beshtian meditative technique)

For those interested in giving it a try:

Take some time aside to say words of prayer or Torah (Prayer and study are both equally excellent vehicles for this meditation technique of the Besht).

Try to connect to the sounds of the letters and words coming out of your mouth.

Feel your soul connecting to the letters and words and experience the divine light within you.
In the Maggid's words (MD"L 47), "he sees the lights of the word, how they spark {off} one another, and from within them great lights are born"




Is there anything new here?

Certainly, there are different Kabbalistic techniques that I do not wish to get into. but just as an example- there is a technique (by the Maggid MDL , 78, the toldos in BPY, Noach 21a at length and in Toldes, hakdomeh, 6a quotes it from the Cardovarien Chesed L'Avrohom) where one praying first access the upper lights and than channels them into the letters- at this point the letter is automatically connected to its source and only now acts as the channel between man and the divine.

This Beshtian teaching brings the lights even closer to us by pointing out that the upper lights, described in Kabbalah, is located right within the shapes and sounds of the letters (VAKM"L)- one only needs to directly connect with the letters as they are the divine. The letters ARE our ultimate destination: the sphere of divine timeless unity.

le'hoir, both the toldos and the Degel deal with how to reconcile this concept with the standard Kabbalistic channeling of lights into the letters. The Toldos seems to be saying that they both had the same intention (not that their technique or even approach to the letter and words were identical- the Toldos is only saying that their intention is). The Degel writes that "most likely" their work {"inyonom" I'm assuming that its used in the spirit of the yiddish "zeiereh inyunem" - I beg you to have a go at it} was one"

[also see, the alter rebbe, Likutei tora, Behar 43b, in the name of the besht- the ramash, Maamar D"H Vayomer havayeh el moshe, Vo'eira, 1955, 4 seems to think that it is in opposition to the the alter rebbeh's theory]

So- I will leave us with the question: how much of Kabbalah did the Besht really incoperate in his teachings?