Not on bread alone lives man, but on the utterance of the mouth of G‑d does man live (8:3)

At the core of every existence is a 'divine utterance' that constitutes its 'soul' - its essence and purpose. This 'divine utterance' is the Divine 'words' of creation ("Let there be light", "Let the earth sprout forth vegetation", etc.) which express G‑d's desire that it exist and it's function within His overall purpose of creation. It is the 'divine utterance' which was the original instrument of its creation, and which remains nestled within it to continuously supply it with being and life.

The soul of man descends into the trappings and trials of physical life in order to gain access to these 'sparks of holiness'. By investing itelf within a physical body which will eat, wear clothes, and otherwise make use of the objects and forces of the physical existence, the soul can redeem the divine utterances which they incorporate. For when man utilizes something, directly or indirectly, to serve his Creator, he penetrates its shell of mundanity, revealing and realizing its Divine essence and purpose.

Therein lies a deeper meaning to the verse: "The hungry and the thirsty, in them does their soul wrap itself."1 A person may desire food and sense only his body's hunger; but in truth, his physical craving is but the expression and external packaging of a deeper yen - his soul's craving for the sparks of holiness that are the object of her mission in physical life.2

- Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch was once asked by one of his young daughters: how does one explain the existence of angels and other 'spiritual' existences? After all, no one has ever seen an angel…

Said Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok: "We are now riding in a coach discussing angels, and to us, this is a most befitting accomplishment of our trip. But the horses pulling the coach believe that the purpose of the expedition consists entirely of the oats awaiting them at the journey's end, and in the eyes of the coachman, the purpose lies in the wages he will earn to feed his family. So we have three thoughts, three perspectives on the same reality.

"Now tell me," concluded the Rebbe, "just because the horses are thinking "oats" does that in any way lessen the significance of our discussion of angels…?"