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Mar 28, 2026, 12:09 AM

Who Knows Four? The Haggadah in Four Parts

I was recently sitting down with a Religious School student to do some pre-Passover learning. I posed the question: "Can you tell me the whole Exodus story in four sentences?" He replied, perfectly, with a question: "Why four? Why...

Mar 2, 2026, 7:03 PM

Purim Torah That Works This Year

If there's a biblical book that appears to lend itself to this moment, during war with Iran, it seems to be Megillat Esther. An easy manipulated ruler is convinced by an insecure, evil advisor to arrange for the massacre...

Dec 25, 2023, 9:16 AM

Embracing A Difficult Future — VaYigash, 5784

I really love reunion stories. I simply can't get enough of them, and I can't ever remember seeing a moment of long-lost return that didn't immediately bring me to sobbing tears. This obviously means Parashat VaYigash and its multiple...

Oct 9, 2020, 4:07 PM

Sukkot: Ritual, Ethical, and Civic Duty –5781

The 2nd chapter of Tractate Sukkah ends with a series of teachings that do not directly pertain to Sukkot, but nevertheless focus on the overall theme of “home”. On page 29a/b: Sages: On account of four matters the property of...

Oct 8, 2020, 9:30 PM

Sukkot — Ideal, Real, & Human Life, 5781

Today we’ll continue to make our way through passages in the 2nd chapter of Tractate Sukkah. On page 27a, we learn (see previous posts here and here). Statement: Rabbi Eliezer says in a baraita -- One may not depart from...

Oct 7, 2020, 7:47 PM

Essential Workers, Exemptions, Benefits — 5781

The talmudic passages on Sukkot obligations remain relevant for so much of 5781. Following up on yesterday’s exploration of Tractate, Sukkah, 26a, the Talmud continues: Mishnah: The ill and their caretakers are exempt from the mitzvah of sukkah. A similar teaching—The...

Oct 6, 2020, 2:57 PM

Sukkot—Assessing Risk & Ritual, 5781

One of my favorite talmudic passages from Tractate Sukkah, page 26a, reads: - Statement: Guardians of gardens and orchards are exempt from sukkah dwelling both during the day and at night. - Challenge: Why can’t they just build a sukkah...

Oct 10, 2019, 9:15 PM

Sukkot, Halakhah, and Spirituality

The transition from Yom Kippur to Sukkot is the quintessential expression of inhabiting the space between heaven and earth, and blurring those boundaries altogether. Here are 5 short teachings around the laws of Sukkot that attempt to highlight some...

Jan 17, 2019, 11:17 PM

Is This the Place? (Honoring Mary Oliver)

Mary Oliver, Devotions, 3 Why do people keep asking to see God’s identity papers When the darkness opening into morning is more than enough? Certainly any god might turn away in disgust. Think of Sheba approaching the kingdom of Solomon. Do you think she had to ask, “Is...

Jan 10, 2019, 10:36 PM

Certainty, Obviously

With so much heated debate around how to make complex financial decisions with public funds, it may be helpful to illustrate a few legal principles from within the Jewish tradition that can help animate -- and perhaps influence --...

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About Me

Rabbi Aaron Alexander is Co-Senior Rabbi of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C. He previously served as Associate Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University.