תהלים, פרק ק״ז, פסוק י״ח

Severe illness can push a person to a breaking point where the body actively rejects its most basic need for survival. The sick individual loses all desire to eat, developing a strong aversion to nourishment [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This repulsion is so intense that they turn away even from the meals they once loved and found most tempting [רד״ק]. Beyond the physical symptoms, this rejection of food carries a deeper spiritual meaning. It serves as a forced fast, acting as a consequence for those who failed to control their physical desires and refused to fast willingly during their healthy days [אלשיך]. Furthermore, this physical inability to eat directly mirrors their internal state. Just as they previously rejected the spiritual nourishment that could have healed their souls, their bodies now reject physical sustenance [מלבי״ם].

As their weakness grows, they are brought to the very edge of life, facing severe life-threatening danger [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They stand at the entrance of the grave, a place where the doors close and a person will never see light again [אבן עזרא]. A profound connection exists between this loss of appetite and the closeness of death. While a sick body would naturally want to consume food to regain strength, the soul rejects it. The soul secretly senses that it has reached the end of its journey and understands that physical food no longer has any value [אלשיך].

Arriving at this extreme edge, the sick realize that no doctor or medicine can save them. Stripped of all earthly solutions, they understand that their only remaining hope is to cry out to God [רד״ק].