So important is community that Kabbalistic writings consider Knesset Yisroel , the body of the People of Israel, as synonymous with the Shechinah , the Divine Presence on earth. The Shechinah is the feminine element in creation, for it receives G-d's light, nurtures it, and reveals it in the world. Thus the union of G-d and the Shechinah , of the transcendent and the immanent, is not a static act. It is the constant bringing to birth a new and ever increasing awareness of G-d. Ever single act, performed according to the laws of the Torah, brings about a greater revelation of G-d in the world, a greater unity between the Soul of the creation and the physical.
Every act becomes a prayer.
It is the reason why the soul leaves its pristine abode to come down into the body, why G-d descends to create a world, and why the contemplative must eventually leave his retreat and unite with humanity. The contemplative is to the community what the soul is to the body. He gives it life, inspiration, and leads its members to a higher level. Then, if he finds that he must retreat once again to his solitary path, it is because the final rectification has not yet been accomplished. He retreats, to draw from the source of inspiration, and he returns again to water the garden of souls.