Our Gemara brings a prooftext from the verse in Vayikra (26:26) that describes the famine-like conditions that would befall the Jewish people if they do not follow in G-d’s ways:

בְּשִׁבְרִ֣י לָכֶם֮ מַטֵּה־לֶחֶם֒ וְ֠אָפוּ עֶ֣שֶׂר נָשִׁ֤ים לַחְמְכֶם֙ בְּתַנּ֣וּר אֶחָ֔ד וְהֵשִׁ֥יבוּ לַחְמְכֶ֖ם בַּמִּשְׁקָ֑ל וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם וְלֹ֥א תִשְׂבָּֽעוּ

When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven; they shall dole out your bread by weight, and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied.

The Maor VaShemesh (Rav Klonymos Kalman) asks, why is it considered a curse that many breads will be baked in one oven, actually bread bakes better when the oven is full?  Therefore, he offers a derash on this verse.  When the person breaks the staff of his stubbornness and returns to G-d, then there will be a unification of different aspects of G-d (the Ten Sefiros), allowing for an integration of the merciful attributes of G-d into the strict Judgement.  That is Middas HaDin can be tempered by Middas HaRachamim.  This is represented by the Ten women baking in one oven.  The proper balance between mercy and law is represented by the phrase. “Bread by weight”, meaning it is an appropriate balance.  This will lead to an unending bestowing of G-d’s divine flow, which is the eating without being satisfied, which really means eating without becoming full so it never has to stop.

This is one of the remarkable similarities between kabbalistic and psychological themes.  Kabbalastic theology often speaks of the importance of effectuating balance between various aspects of Godliness in this world, such as the tempering of Middas HaDin and Middas HaRachamim.  In psychological theory, we also speak of the need for a human personality to balance between various conflicting trends, such as a the dictates of the Ego, versus the Superego.  Man is made in the image of G-d.  Likewise then, stubbornness holds back a healthy balanced personality in the same way that it holds back G-d’s presence in this world in a balanced manner. 

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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