[Avodah] soup

[David Riceman]

RAM:

<< MB 177:1 -- "Daisa - Even though it is thick, and one does not eat it 
together with the bread (aino m'lafes bahem hapas), and it is eaten on 
its own, nevertheless, since it comes for satiety, it *is* the main part 
of the meal, and it is tafel to the bread. And the same halacha applies 
to all types of tavshilin which are usual to come during a bread-meal." 
On the one hand, it is true that the MB does not mention soup by using 
the word "marak". But in my experience, "tavshilin" refers specifically 
to wet foods which are cooked in a pot. This might be a stew more 
frequently than a soup, but I don't see why the halacha would be any 
different.>>

Sorry to be writing so much about this subject, but I elided this by 
writing "meal/bread" in a previous post.  Porridge is also the subject 
of a machlokes rishonim, see, for example, Drisha 177:1 for a sampling 
of opinions.

HaMotzi has two dinim: it exempts any food which accompanies bread (with 
certain exceptions) and it establishes a meal ("kovea seudah").  It's 
not the only way to establish a meal (Shabbos, for example, is kovea 
seudah), but eating bread is, ipso facto (with some exceptions, as I 
mentioned above), kvia.

Porridge, the poskim tell us, is not a food which normally accompanies 
bread.  It is, however, a food which constitutes a meal.  Porridge 
constitutes a meal, and bread constitutes a meal.  When both are eaten 
together we have not two meals, but one, and hence we need only one brachah.

Soup (especially clear soup) does not generally constitute a meal, so I 
don't see that this halacha is relevant to it.

David Riceman