כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו על הארץ (נח ו:יב)

The Baal Shem Tov, zt”l, once davened Mincha in the forest with great fervor. An astonishing scene occurred: all the animals stood on their hind legs and seemed to join in prayer to Hashem.

The Baal Shem Tov explained this through the verse “תְּהִלַּת ה’ יְדַבֵּר פִי” )תהילים קמה:כא)) — when a person prays to Hashem, it inspires all creation to praise Him as well. He connected this to “כִּי הִשְׁחִית כָּל בָּשָׂר אֶת דַּרְכּוֹ עַל הָאָרֶץ” — even the animals were affected by the corruption of man. When people are corrupt, the world around them is also negatively influenced.

Similarly, when people serve Hashem with Torah and tefillah, they elevate all of creation, bringing blessing and goodness to the world.