It is an actual service that requires focus and direction. A story is related about a half cup of water, the other half of which had been consumed by a human being. It depends on whether the person had the proper intentions when drinking it. Every aspect of creation becomes incorporated into the higher level above it. The minerals in the earth and water give sustenance to plants.
Plants give sustenance to animals.
All three levels give sustenance to man. Although man s soul ascends to heaven, his body turns back into dust. If man merely exists, he brings all of creation back to dust, one of the lowest levels. Or man can elevate all his food to a level of Divinity. Jewish mystical thought explains a reality called 'Klipah' or 'husk'.