The Best bean soup

1 lrg jar of northern white beans
14 oz can chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
pepper
1 lrg smoked ham shank (not ham hocks)

throw all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for about 5 hours. remove shank, shred meat and return to cooker.