Question
Ok so this question is odd but bear with me: From what I know, Jewishness is passed down via the mother. I also know that in the story of the Golem, he is granted life by a rabbi. Would the rabbi be considered his parent? And if so, would the golem be considered Jewish?

Question
How important is it to refrain from eating nuts on Rosh Hashanah? Is it okay to do to please a friend? I am asking because my friend I am going over is baking an apple walnut cake and she wants me to eat some. She doesn’t follow any such restrictions and will feel hurt if I don’t eat any. And I feel bad for her if she does all that work and I eat none.

Question
This might sound strange, but for the past few weeks, I have been wearing kilts because I have a broken leg that is in a cast for at least two months, and I cannot fit pants on my legs. Kilts are the only skirt-like garments I know of that are made for men. I bought three of them after this happened. I know it’s weird for a man to wear a skirt, but I don’t have much of a choice now. What I’m wondering is if I should go to synagogue for the high holidays. I normally am not into going to synagogue at all. But I go usually for the high holidays and I get dressed up. I don’t know if it is appropriate do go with a look others might perceive as cross dressing, even those kilts are for men. I have wanted to leave a message for the rabbi, but all I get is a recording that says he will not be available before Rosh Hashanah because he is too busy. Do you think I should go or not?

Question
What is the best way to stop our grown son who wants to come to us for a Rosh Hashanah meal when we don’t want him here? We love him dearly and unconditionally, but he is eccentric and can be embarrassing at times. He was a difficult child to raise, and he is stubborn and feels entitled and does not easily take no for an answer. He is very argumentative when we try to dissuade him and we feel powerless to stop him. He doesn’t care deeply about following Torah laws that require him to respect us. Getting ready for Rosh Hashanah should not have to be like this. The situation is, for one of our meals, we want to have a couple over, and we want them to have a good impression of us. We fear he may be detrimental to that very important impression. Besides all his other traits I described, he is highly outgoing and wants to meet these people. We think this would be a terrible idea at this time. He says he plans to show up, even if he is not invited. He is an independent adult who is successful in his professional life and we cannot punish him if he does this to us. What advice do you have as a rabbi to keep him away?