Eating without satisfaction – B’chukkotai
In Parashat B’chukkotai there is a series of curses which include Leviticus 26:26, “You shall eat and not be satisfied”.
The rabbis (e.g. Rashi) say that it is one of the worst possible deprivations to eat enough or even a great deal and still not feel satisfied (Ibn Ezra).
It is not just a matter of having too little food and being hungry after a meal, but a feeling that eating – whether little or much – has brought one no satisfaction.
The curses of B’chukkotai indicate that if people do not live by God’s word, the normal activities of life will give no pleasure or contentment.
