Wake and arise for the sake of the holy Shekhina, for you have an empty heart, devoid of understanding. You cannot acquire her [the Shekhina], even though she is within you…. The secret of the matter is like the verse, “A voice speaks: ‘Call out!’” (Is. 40:6). It means that a voice echoes in every Jew, calling him to pray for the holy Shekhina to arise, for she contains all of the souls of Israel. [The Zohar brings proof from another verse that the word “call” refers to prayer.]
But the Shekhina says, “What shall I call?” meaning, I have not the strength to lift myself up from the dust, since “Life is nothing more than grass.” That means that people become like animals that eat grass; they perform mitzvot unthinkingly, like animals. “While its love [is like] green shoots upon the land.” This means that people do acts of kindness only for themselves.
When they perform mitzvot, they do not have intention to grant satisfaction to their Creator, but only for their own benefit.