Please explain Bava Metzia 62a about the two men with just enough water for one of them to survive. I do not grasp R. Akiva's advice tthat only one of them drink the water in order to survive and he bases this on 'that thy brother may live with thee:' thy life takes precedence over his life." I seem to be missing something in this text and so I would be appreciative if you would explain. Understanding the text is very important to me as a Holocaust survivor. Thanks. WZ

Thanks for your response. Shabbat Shalom, D

I have a question for the rabbi, but i was first wondering if these questions are confidential, and personal. i can't ask my question, if my email address, name, or question will not be strictly confidential.

When my wife does the laundry, she puts my tsitsis in a nylon mesh bag to keep them from getting tangled. However, the knots still become loose. On closer inspection, I noticed that the final knot is what in Boy Scouts we used to call a "granny" knot, that is, an incorrectly tied square knot. A granny knot is easy to loosen. A square knot is easy to keep tight. They are both tied using two "overhand" knots, but a square knot is "right over left and under; left over right and under". Can I retie the tsitsis using square knots? Thank you.

Dear, Rabbi Shalom. Is it a requirement that Jewish women in today's world to have long hair? And dose it have to be a certian color? And what color? And if a Jewish woman hsa short hair can she still wear a sznood?