The Principle of Higher Roots Falling Lower
This is consistent with the known maxim that from the higher something falls the lower it descends. In other words, the possibility for something so lofty to fall so far below from such a lofty height and yet the created beings in its surround still retain their existence is only when it descends further below into the state of the other side for in this state, the concealment and hiddenness is with much great intensity, and therefore is able to conceal and hide the Divine light which comes from a higher place (its source). If the concealment and hiding would not be this intense, then the supernal light would annihilate the concealment and hiddenness.
Therefore, the lion which stems from a higher spiritual level – ‘the face of the lion is on the right’ and because of the collapse of the vessels, it fell much lower into the antithesis and became a non-kosher animal. Whereas the ox which comes from the supernal 'face of the ox' which is not as high a level spiritually so that even when it fell below it remained a kosher animal (falling only to the level preceding the deeper level mentioned above of total concealment).
Human Sustenance and the Sparks of Tohu
Accordingly, it is explained in the writings of the AriZal (in explaining) how humans are sustained by ingesting of the inanimate, the vegetative and from the animal species; that it is because they have 'Sparks' from the powerful lights of 'Tohu'. Whereas the human even though he also has within him some of the lights of 'Tohu', nevertheless their intensity is not as intense as they are in the inanimate, vegetative and animal realms.
