Each of the Tzitzit strings on the corners of a Tallit or Tzitzit garment have a series of twists and knots. My Tzitzit have a perpetual problem of unraveling and losing their grip, leaving me with loose ends. It seems that I am not the only one suffering from this malady, as a variety of cures have recently appeared in Judaic shops including drops of wax or sealant to hold the knots in place and other creative solutions.
My son Moshe has a simple solution. You tie the knots tight, and then dip them in water for an extended period. I’m not sure exactly how this works, or how long it lasts, but it does make a difference. The water expands the strings, and somehow it dries harder and better connected.
Regardless of why this water-dipping method works, there’s much to be learned here, since we all suffer from loose ends and unraveling in many areas of life, not only in our Tzitzit strings.
Total Immersion is one answer. By totally immersing ourselves in Torah study, in observance of a Mitzvah or a Jewish experience, not toe-dipping or tongue-tasting, but full-bodied immersion, we have a much better chance of things staying together, connected and wholesome, instead of unraveling and loose. This immersion doesn’t have to be for a very long period, but it has to be significant enough and long enough to get the strings in our life totally wet, to soak it in, so that even as the water evaporates, the connectivity remains.