More Magic

“…and this is what I have heard from my master ZLH”H, in the Tikkun of prayer {one} needs {to go through the rituals of} Hachnoeh {submission}, Havdoleh {separation} and Hamtokeh {sweetening}”

Toldos, Noach, 14 b
The basic monumental Beshtian concept, that everything is god, and therefore good- could easily be misinterpreted as “all’s good.” While a statement as such may not be false, it is very far from our perception of reality.
We, unfortunately, do not experience an all good existence. There is always some disturbance, some unforeseen event that springs out of no-where. When all finally does temporarily go well, we are consumed by plans of the future and failures of the past.
Now, of course, we can choose to remain shallow and go through life blaming all the many details. For those there is no cure {at least I, do not have time to write them} as their problems are numbered in the millions, every problem solved brings two new ones in its wake.
The Besht offers us an alternative by explaining that all of our problems are really one. Actually physical problems, fear, darkness, depressing thoughts and threats are all divine energies out of place. Within their surface bad one could discover their divine essence {which, again, is all good}, one only needs to connect to their real essence.
In other words, if we only “defragment” {so to speak} our divine energies and allow them to function and flow freely- all of our problems will cease, as the divine energy will no longer function as chaos. After re-organizing and returning all to their proper place, they will be part of the revealed good divine flow. What follows is material success and happiness {for starters}.
So how do we transform these chaotic forces and energies in our lives to divine good?
The chance to do so actually comes to us. Not only we, troubled and overwhelmed, are interested in this restoration. The divine energies, represented as a whole as the Shechina, currently in exiled to chaos within us- continuously enter our mind in the form of thoughts, more specifically as evil or foreign thoughts- waiting for us to elevoate them as we ease our way out of trouble. It is for this reason they prefer {if we can think of them as sef-willed cells} to come into our mind during the holiest of times, namely during study and prayer {as they and us have a better chance of getting our attention during times we unite to the divine}.
For example: man finally stands before god about to start prayer, a completely “foreign” thought arises- a seductive sexy woman seems to occupy his mind.
{now, again, one could choose to indulge in it –which would only intensify its vitality within his soul, it will now be even deeper rooted in ones sub-concisous, bringing along with it all its physical manifestation- or, one could just ignore it, repress it or enter denial- this will provide temporary relief- but no cure}
Step number 1:
Hachnoeh, our submission to the fact that we don’t run this planet. Even our thoughts are not ours. They are all divine. Our problem, in this case an evil thought, is not ours. As we are nothing. Only the divine is.

Step number 2:
Hav’doleh, separation or sifting through the thought. What is it about that seductive woman that appeals to us? What are we really after when we desire her? Etc.
Before long, one will come to realize that it’s the divine energies within that woman that call for our attention. A little deeper into this process we may even begin to see that it’s not sex that we are after, but, rather love- divine love.
By the time we get to the bottom of this desire- we have stripped it down to its bare divine essence- at this point, the façade, the beautiful woman has been separated from its divine source. All that is left is the divine.
Step number 3
Haamtokeh- the sweetening of judgment, our physical “real” trouble gets sweetened and manifests itself in this world as the solution to the trouble it caused in its chaotic form.

This is just one way of understanding this Beshtian concept, those who practice will easily learn new ones, little short-cuts and amendments.
I would like to present two very different interpretations, or rather utilizations, of this very technique {unheard of before the Besht}:
The first one is by the Toldos in the name of the Besht, which employs this technique to complement the Ariz”l’s Kavones {mystical intentions} on the beginning of shmoyneh essreh “ADNY sefosei tiftoch”- which deal with the judgments that come up with the beginning of prayer {see Shaar Ha’Kavanot, Drushei Ho’Amideh, 5}.{ A longer comparative study would be required to evaluate where the Ariz”l left off, but more on that as we go along}. Here it is:
“I heard from my Master an explanation of the mystery of the alphabet etc. and how one is to perform with every word Hakhna’ah, Havdalah, Hamtakah. That is to say, {there are} the judgments of ShKh and PR hinted at in the word ADNY at the opening of the Amidah {shmoyneh essreh} all the intentions contained there {presumably from the Ariz”l} one must intend with every word and utterance to sweeten the judgments. For the letter Aleph is the mystery of Peleh {wonder} and is enclothed in the letter Bet, which is two Alephs, and then in the letter Gimel, three Alephs until the letter Tav, four hundred Alephs. And the further away a letter is {from its source, the Aleph} the further away it is from vitality and it becomes enclothed in the Husks until {the level of} Malkhut She-Be-Malkhut {Kingship of Kingship} where there {is the place of} evil and foreign thoughts etc. And as one pays attention to the exile of the Shekhinah, that {this evil/foreign thought} is a spark of the Shekhinah which is enclothed in the ugliness of these Husks, he will begin to tremble with great trembling and then “all evildoers will be scattered” and the unification of Yirah and Norah {fear and awe} is accomplished; and {through this} the holy spark is sifted and is connected to the vitality above, according to the mystery of “and the living angels ran and returned” (Ezekiel 1:14); and this is the redemption {of the Shekhinah} from captivity. And this is Hakhna’ah: as if he is not speaking but only the Shekhinah; Havdalah: {means} to sever the Husks etc.; and Hamtakah: to elevate and sweeten them at their roots etc”
Toldos, end, 201 a
A far more mellow use is mentioned by the Toldos in the name of Reb Nachman {presumably Reb Nachman of Breslov’s grandfather, a regular at the Besht}:
“that the greatness of this {technique} is that {one} gets out of the trait of Strength {midas Gevureh}, not to judge unfavorably on the people of this world, but {one} should enter {into} compassion and judge all favorably even when he sees something ugly (from) {in} his friend- he should feel that it’s all for his good. {that he was privileged to see this ugliness so that} he could feel within himself a trace of it {this very ugliness that he has just seen in his friend} and he should repent from it even {if this ugliness exists with him only} in thought… and he should get stronger… and the main thing is to understand that god is everywhere and in all his dealings. Therefore, even in the telling of tales {one} can feel {experience} the subjects of the creator blessed be just as {strongly as during} study and prayer”
Toldos, End, 202a
Reb Nachman took it to life, he applied it to all that man hears and sees others doing. Within everything that comes to our attention we can find the divine purity. And this, again, is done via the Hachnoeh, Havdoleh, Hamtokeh technique.
It should be familiar and simple by now:

1) I didn’t just see it or hear it. It was god-sent.
2) The ones doing it {evil} or talking about it are just confused. They are really after the very same thing that I am. Only they don’t know it. I most probably saw it just to be reminded what I too have, at least partially, forgotten- that the source of all desire is divine
3) All is now sweetened (as to whether this technique also works on the other- another time).
Only upon confronting darkness and sweetening the judgments “all” really “is good”!