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jewish women of wisdom

Chicken Soup for the Family and Beyond

By Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz

It’s become a Jewish expression connected to welcoming guests for Shabbos. We invite people and tell them if they decide to come at the last minute, we’ll just add some water to the chicken soup. The message is warm and inclusive. We are saying: it’s not a problem. We will graciously expand our resources to meet the need. Please come.

As I ladled my soup into plastic freezer containers one recent evening, I thought about this paradigm for hospitality. Adding water only works when you have a full-bodied soup in which plenty of chicken and lots of wholesome vegetables have simmered for a long time. The flavor is subtle but strong. Therefore, you can add volume without additional ingredients without compromising on taste.

The same is true of bringing strangers into your home. If you have created an atmosphere of authentic values with ingredients that have cooked a long time on the stove, the soup does not lose flavor or strength when you add water afterwards. There is no risk of diluting your chinuch or your message when you bring in outsiders who lack the strength and depth of your Torah values and commitments. If the ingredients that you have put into your home are plentiful, fresh and varied hashkafa, middos, and modeling, in addition to the chicken (unembellished Torah), your stock will be hearty and wholesome. And you can sneak in some water to stretch it for another few seats at the table.

There are no shortcuts to making a good chicken soup. None of us would think of using consommé cubes for a

Friday night seudah; it’s just not the real thing and it’s obvious at first sip. You generally need to have most of the following fresh vegetables: onions, parsley root, celery, greens. a beet (for color), carrots, and squash.

There are no shortcuts, either, for creating a warm Torah home. It takes authentic Torah and lots of modeling, guiding, learning from others, among many ingredients. And they all need to be cooked for a long time so that the subtle flavors merge and the vegetables and chicken become soft and easy to eat. It takes time and effort to concoct the delicacy we take for granted every week. We need to purchase the veggies, check them, peel them, cut them up, wash them, and monitor the flame

If you have created an atmosphere of authentic values with ingredients that have cooked a long time on the stove, the soup does not lose flavor or strength when you add water afterwards.

once all of the ingredients are ready. It’s a labor-intensive process with a quality output from a watchful process in which we skim the scum and adjust the flame under the pot several times. We don’t just turn on the fire and forget about it. Paying attention, monitoring the heat, and preventing overflow onto the stove is part of it once you have assembled the ingredients.

And so it is for our chinuch efforts. We labor. We learn. We check. We remove inedible parts. We monitor and adjust as needed. Ultimately, there is a strong, full bodied message that is easy to imbibe and digest.

And it’s strong enough, if cooked long enough, to withstand the extension to others who may not have had the opportunity to taste of authentic Jewish tradition. Let’s not be so scared.

We have learned to master the art of creating Torah homes. And we can share them easily with the uninitiated if we have mastered our craft well. Bring on the guests as we add water to the chicken soup.

What’s delicious is the soup itself, not the garnishes and add-ons. Whether you add croutons, chickpeas, lokshen, or retach, the soup itself is the main attraction. It’s not about how your kids behave at the table or whether the cutlery is all of one pattern. It’s about the strong message of full-bodied Torah values that your guest experiences at your Shabbos table. That’s what will restore him, not the starchy accompaniments.

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