Background : My 18 years old son who just started attending Rutgers U. and is not religous (although i am ) as a result of my ex-wife influence and removal from a jewish education and contact with me at a very young age , and whom I was able to meet recently after 8 years of seperation. We spoke of religion and life's meaning , which he was very intrested in as he wrote a thesis on the subject of happiness and is intrested in philosophy. He asked me the following quiestions which I need your help in answering. 1. What is the goal/goals of religion? 2.How does it specifacaly help the individual achieve this goal/goals? 3. Why cannt one adopt all the good things from all religous /philosophical/ethical systems and be content just with that as opposed to embracing judaism in full? 4. Can one achieve a deeper and longer term happiness thru the Judaic system vs. all other systems , and how can it be proven to be so to someone who doesnt believe in Judaism? I answered him quiestions 1 and 2 based on the Guide to the preplexed thesis that all religion is for mans ultimate benefit and developement but he counterd with quiestion 3 . I responded that only Judaism is the perfect formula to these goals , but he asked for examples to elucidate this and to prove that judaism is a superior system to all other hybrids of positve ideas spread out in all thought/religous systems.This is where i got stuck . Pease help me out. I will be happy to forward your answers to him , thanks in advance , nehemia rosin 917 929 8941

Dear, Rabbi Shalom. My questions are: 1. If a married jewish women dose not wear a snood on her head what else would she wear? And would she wear it all the time like all day long or just when she goes to temple? 2. What language do the Jewish mostly speak ? Yeddish or Hebrew? Toda. Marijane

Dear, Rabbi Shalom. My questions are: 1. If a married jewish women dose not wear a snood on her head what else would she wear? And would she wear it all the time like all day long or just when she goes to temple? 2. What language do the Jewish mostly speak ? Yeddish or Hebrew? Toda. Marijane

Rabbi Newman, I asked you this morning about confidential emails. i then responded to your email by asking you my personal question. i then saw an email that says that ask@asktherabbi.org is not monitored address. i dont know where my letter is, but i DEFINITELY dont want it flying around. PLEASE do what you can to get the letter and make sure it doesn't go around. not that anyone would know the people invovled, but it's not the type of letter one would want to let circulate. thank you in advance!

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