Morah Yehudis Fishman

I have been teaching Torah and Chassidic writings for over forty years to students of all ages and backgrounds, both on the East Coast and the Midwest. I have been a director of several Jewish organizations in Santa Fe and Colorado. My articles and poetry on a wide variety of Jewish topics have been printed in many publications, and also are available online.

Tishrei Tidbits – Sukkot

Please don’t leave Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur without hangin’ out in a Sukkah. It would be like experiencing Passover but skipping Shavuot- i.e. going from ‘freedom from’ without going to ‘freedom for.’  

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Tishrei Tidbits – Yom Kippur

How do I know Judaism is still alive and well? More people go to synagogue for Kol NIdrei than any other time of the year- and there’s no food served for at least twenty four hours!

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The Hidden Torah In The Manifest Series

Though dark clouds hover over our world this time of the year, the sages insist that filaments of secret light and divine connection are buried beneath the concealment. A recent Netflix series expresses this concept.

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Hearing The Cry of a Child

As graduation speeches and flying caps fill the air, we may wonder about the extent and duration of the influence that schools and individual teachers may have on students, both in knowledge and character. Rabbis in the past and present have given plenty of advice about how to teach.

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Shrinking To Infinity

“The only ones afraid of guns are those who have many gods and one world. Those who have one G-d and many worlds are not afraid.” This was the response of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, when a prison guard tried to stop him from praying.

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Finding Pharaohs in A Modern Film

Could Pharaoh be Irish? As we read this last month’s Torah portions, about the ancient idiosyncratic behavior of an Egyptian despot, we think such personalities can’t happen in our world, in our times.  Well, a film with nine nominations for Oscar awards, admirably shows it can transpire in ordinary human behavior.

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What Is So Odd About Getting Even?

The 2022 Boulder Jewish Festival Film series, highlights several Holocaust related movies. One of the most prominent is "Plan A," the true story of attempted revenge on the Nazis by some Jewish groups. This article discusses some of the complex issues brought up by this film.

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Correct Sin-Tax

Teshuva is the Jewish way to pay our ‘sin taxes.’ Aveira is one of the Hebrew words for transgression. In my mind, it resonates with the English word, ‘over.’

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All Stars: Kids and Baseball

Maybe it’s just me. I have such a soft spot for kids and baseball. So when I come across a true story behind this gripping combo of kids and baseball - I can watch those films over and over.

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The Road of Second Chances

As we close the book of Numbers, which is really a book of counting or travels with forty-two stops for forty years, the very last portion is called Ma’asei which means journeys.

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Chariots of Fire

Many of you know that the allusion of the title, Chariots of Fire, relate to Eliyahu HaNavi, Elijah the prophet, ascending to heaven in a chariot of fire, as he was leaving this world. So why the connection to this film?

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In Humanity of The Wild West

Two startlingly different and divergent award winning Westerns, which are surprisingly similar in their motifs, come to my mind. Almost mirror opposites, these two films contain an analogous theme: A lone, rather uptight, cowboy, who is attracted to another man’s wife, and a boy who grows more and more attached to the cowboy.

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Far From Home-Less

As we complete the book of Exodus with the construction of the Holy Sanctuary, I can’t help thinking of the following quote from 2021’s Academy Award’s winning film, "Nomadland." “I may be houseless, but not homeless” was one of the opening phrases by the laconic but sensitive, Fern.

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Never Be Lonely

My first encounter with Chabad came about in 1960 when I was seventeen, and a friend invited me to a farbrengen where the Rebbe spoke. From that moment, I was totally smitten with the movement. It was a very cold winter day, and I remember feeling that although my body …

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What Makes “A Wonderful Life?”

Many films of magical realism appear this time of year, across many cultures. One perennial favorite is Frank Capra’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ which first appeared when I was only three years old. I was determined to figure out why it became so popular and what could be a Torah connection.

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Pieces Into Peace

We learn in Pirkei Avot, ‘Be like the students of Aaron: Love peace, and pursue peace’ There is so much good advice in this pithy saying.

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A Price Tag on People?

The summer of 2001 my world changed. It was the year I moved to Boulder, Colorado. A few weeks later, 9/11 changed the world. That twenty-year memory became more vivid this September by watching a sterling performance by Michael Keaton as the lawyer Kenneth Feinberg who was in charge of allocating funds to the families of the victims.

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