Were there merely to be a vast quantity of ethereal garments, the Divine life-force would only be capable of creating spiritual beings and not physical ones; in order for this physical world with its corporeal creatures to be created, much denser garments were necessary. It is this that the Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain:

These garments, wherein the blessed Ein Sof invests and conceals the light and vitality, are so strong and powerful,

וְכָל כָּךְ עָצְמוּ וְגָבְרוּ הַלְּבוּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מַלְבִּישׁ וּמַסְתִּיר בָּהֶם הָאוֹר וְהַחַיּוּת,

I.e., the garments are not only numerous in quantity, but they are also of such a type that their ability to conceal is greater than that of ordinary garments,

that thereby, with this life-force and light, He created this world that is verily corporeal and physical,6

עַד אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא בוֹ עוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַחוּמְרִי וְהַגַּשְׁמִי מַמָּשׁ,

and [G-d] creates and animates it by the vitality and light which He draws down and shines forth unto it.

וּמְהַוֵּוהוּ וּמְחַיֵּיהוּ בְּחַיּוּת וְאוֹר אֲשֶׁר מַמְשִׁיךְ וּמֵאִיר לוֹ,

This illumination is a light that is clothed, hidden, and concealed within the numerous and powerful garments, which hide and conceal the light and vitality,

אוֹר הַמְלוּבָּשׁ וּמְכוּסֶּה וּמוּסְתָּר בְּתוֹךְ הַלְּבוּשִׁים הָרַבִּים וְהָעֲצוּמִים הַמַּעֲלִימִים וּמַסְתִּירִים הָאוֹר וְהַחַיּוּת,

so that no light or vitality whatsoever is visibly revealed but only corporeal and physical things that appear lifeless.

עַד שֶׁאֵין נִרְאֶה וְנִגְלֶה שׁוּם אוֹר וְחַיּוּת רַק דְּבָרִים חוּמְרִיִּים וְגַשְׁמִיִּים, וְנִרְאִים מֵתִים,

Gazing at corporeal things, such as at the physical orb of Earth, can cause a person to imagine them as utterly lifeless—totally devoid of any spiritual vitality.

Yet they contain light and vitality, which constantly creates them ex nihilo, so that they shall not revert to nothing and naught as they had been prior to their creation.

אַךְ בְּתוֹכָם – יֵשׁ אוֹר וְחַיּוּת הַמְהַוֶּה אוֹתָם מֵאַיִן לְיֵשׁ תָּמִיד, שֶׁלֹּא יַחְזְרוּ לִהְיוֹת אַיִן וָאֶפֶס כְּשֶׁהָיוּ,

Creation ex nihilo must be constant: the fact that the world and its creatures were already once created during the Six Days of Creation does not suffice. Rather, there must be a constant renewal of creation from its source. Thus, the G-dly light and vitality that is responsible for creation is constantly found within created beings, albeit in a concealed fashion.

This light comes from the blessed Ein Sof, except that it is clothed in many garments,

וְאוֹר זֶה הוּא מֵאֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, רַק שֶׁנִּתְלַבֵּשׁ בִּלְבוּשִׁים רַבִּים,

as is written in Etz Chaim that the light and vitality of the physical orb of Earth, which is seen by mortal eyes, is derived from malchut of malchut of Asiyah,

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים, שֶׁאוֹר וְחַיּוּת כַּדּוּר הָאָרֶץ הַחוּמְרִי הַנִּרְאֶה לְעֵינֵי בָשָׂר, הוּא מִמַּלְכוּת דְּמַלְכוּת דַּעֲשִׂיָּה,

Malchut of Asiyah is the lowest sefirah of the World of Asiyah, the lowest of the Four Worlds. Malchut itself is composed of all ten sefirot, the lowest of which is malchut. Thus, malchut of malchut of Asiyah represents the lowest degree of the lowest level of Asiyah.

and in it is contained malchut of the next highest World, the World of Yetzirah, and so on; i.e., within malchut of Yetzirah, in turn, there is contained malchut of Beriah, and so on,

וּבְתוֹכָהּ – מַלְכוּת דִּיצִירָה וְכוּ',

so that in all of them—within the level of malchut of all Worlds, including the level of malchut of Asiyah—are contained the ten sefirot of the loftiest World, the World of Atzilut,7

עַד שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ כּוּלָּן – י' סְפִירוֹת דַּאֲצִילוּת

which are united with their Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof.

הַמְיוּחָדוֹת בְּמַאֲצִילָן אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא:

Thus, even the physical orb of Earth contains G-dly light and vitality. This results from the light passing through the sefirot of the various worlds—the sefirot being the G-dliness of each world—as well as through numerous and powerfully dense garments that serve to conceal this vitality.

The difference between the higher and lower worlds will be understood accordingly: The divine light and life-force is revealed to a greater extent in the higher worlds than in the lower, and within this physical world, the light and life-force is completely concealed. However, this is the case merely in relation to the illumination of G-dliness. With regard to the core and essence of the Ein Sof, there truly exists no difference between the higher and lower worlds; He is equally concealed from all and He is equally found in them all.