Another important introduction is that all that Hashem created and formed are dependent on the sustenance they receive from the highest of worlds, the עולם האצילות – the world of emanation. This nourishment is derived from the יו"ד of Hashem’s holy name, and is considered holy. This is the true source of all positive things in our lives, including life itself, good fortune, and positive experiences. This is why the חיה is called the נשמה לנשמה. It provides the soul for the other souls, like its corresponding world of emanation is the source of the life force of the entire creation.
Everything in this world is somewhat alive, and that life is provided by Hashem, through the forces of His creation. As the possuk (Nechemiah 9:6) says וְאַתָה מְחַיֶּה אֶּת כֻּלָ ם - and You keep them all alive. However, there is a difference between lives; not all are created equally. This depends on its distance from the upper realms of spirituality. Those objects that exist far away from the world of emanation have the smallest connection to life’s source. The connection is still there, because absent this connection, life could not exist. Hashem has arranged things in this manner so that each object receives its necessities and entitlements in accordance with its spiritual development. The corporeal earth is still sustained with rain. This is the only way the Earth is able to fulfill its function of growing plants and providing food for humans.
Indirectly then, the earth, too, contributes to the development of the נפש, רוח, נשמה, and חיה. There is no creature in the universe be it the terrestrial regions or the celestial regions which does not depend on the continued input by its holy source, its sacred origin. Each creature, from the totally abstract to the totally physical, is provided with its respective needs by Hashem through His עולם האצילות.
