Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup

The story of Rebbetzin Henny Machlis, the Brooklyn-born girl who became a Jerusalem legend

Sara Yoheved Rigler | 4.83 | 79 ratings and reviews

Ranked #26 in Torah

Her home was small, yet everyone - hundreds of people - found a place in it. Her heart was open even wider than her doorway, and somehow every Jew - thousands and thousands of them - found a beloved place in it. That was Rebbetzin Henny Machlis.

Henny was a girl from Brooklyn - Idealistic, friendly, down to earth, lots of fun. In Sara Yoheved Rigler's masterwork, Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup, we see how this "typical" American Jewish girl transformed herself into a legend - a holy woman who many believe was the Sarah Imeinu (Sarah, our Matriarch) of our time.

If you've ever spent time in Jerusalem, you have probably heard of the legendary Machlis hospitality, how they fit 100-150 (and sometimes more) people in a Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)-sized living room, how Henny would prepare for every Shabbos (Sabbath) forty chickens, three different kugels, countless salads, four desserts, and, of course, gefilte fish, chicken soup, and cholent (stew) - both traditional and vegetarian.

But as Rigler, a friend of Henny's, discovered as she interviewed Henny's fourteen children, relatives, students, and friends, the Shabbos hospitality was just one glowing facet of the multifaceted diamond that was Rebbetzin Henny Machlis.

A master of prayer, a virtuoso in chessed (loving-kindness), an adept in child-rearing, a wise Torah teacher, an expert at working on middos (character traits), and a successful shadchannit (matchmaker), Henny Machlis regarded a life of Torah and mitzvos (Torah-commandments) as a great treasure that she was eager to share with everyone.

And her emunah (faith)? That was where her light shone the most brightly. She lived, everyone said, on the planet of Emunah, a place where miracles were everyday occurrences, because she knew, really knew, that only Hashem (G-d) is in charge and He can do anything. And, for Henny, He often did.

Like a steaming bowl of chicken soup, this book will satisfy you, comfort you, and heal you - in a way that only Rebbetzin Henny Machlis could. Sip it. Savor it. And be inspired and transformed. less

Buy on Amazon

Similar Books

If you like Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup, check out these similar top-rated books:

Learn: What makes Shortform summaries the best in the world?

Learn More