Cantor’s Notes

Cantor Stoehr “NO SOUP FOR YOU!” If you remember that iconic line from

the Seinfeld show it likely elicited a grin. Soup is “Mmm, Mmm! Good”

and not being able to have it when you want or need it is disappoint

ing. It is always healing to have a nice bowl of chicken soup especially

when you’re not feeling well.

This elixir never tastes as good as when your mom made it for you

on a cold winter day when you would stay home from school. I recall

a joke about a “balabuste”, the best homemaker/cook in the world.

A young woman was feeling sick. She called her mother and told her so and the mother

went to make her some soup. First she had to go to the store, which took her two buses, to buy all fresh ingredients.

She picked the vegetables, bought a chicken, spices and matzo ball mix.

She came home, donned her apron and put her hair up in a bun. She first cleaned the chicken being sure to get

all of the feathers off, even using a match to burn off the finest of the feathers. She then cut it into pieces, small delicate

pieces to chew but large enough not to choke on them. She then cut the vegetables with great precision and care. She

turned on the stove top and began to boil the water and added each ingredient with purpose. She stirred and watched

the pot of soup until it was perfectly ready. She took it off of the stove and placed in on her sink counter. From under

the counter she took two mason jars. She carefully poured the soup into the first and then into the second being sure

not to waste a drop. When she was done she took a piece of wax paper and covered the top of each jar securing each

with a rubber band. She then took the lid and screwed it on tightly. She then found some aluminum paper and wrapped

it around the jars and then brown paper which she secured with another rubber band, twisted twice for security. She

placed the jars in a box and filled the rest with newspapers and bubble wrap.

She took it to Fed Ex and shipped it to her daughter across the country. Two days later it arrived and the girl

anxiously opened the box, unwrapped it all and placed her two jars on the table. She took one and worked hard to

untwist the jar lid and placed the open jar near her soup bowl. She poured it in meticulously and sat down with the

soup, spoon the ready in her hand. She dipped it into the bowl of chicken soup, brought it too her lips, only to find out

that it was still too hot to eat. Now that’s a balabuste!

Here at Congregation Beth Shalom we are beginning a wonderful new mitzvah endeavor for

our members, “Soup for You!” Chicken Soup (and vegetarian soup) for those who are some

what under the weather. (Giving credit to Rabbi Averbach who pitched this idea over two years ago).

Have a cold? Call. Have a friend in need who could use a bowl of care? Call. Recuperating and

need some vitamin A, C, K and more? Call.

A band of kitchen wizards, under the rubric of our Social Action Committee Vice

President, Sara Weinstein, are starting this new outreach effort. Interested? Give a call, or send

an email, to volunteer, cook or deliver soup jars for us. For now contact me and I will channel

you to the right folks - cantorstoehr@bethshalomnb.org.

The secret recipe was chosen, from a taste test of four different recipes, by the testing committee. Want to

come and taste test with us? “Sorry, No Soup for You”, we’ve done it.

Stay healthy, Stay well, and Stay CBS Proud.

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