Rosh Hashana

How do we know from the written Torah the exact sequence of shofar notes we are supposed to blow when all the Torah commands us to do is to blow the shofar and provides no details on how many times to blow it or what the notes should sound like?

I am allergic to a lot of fruits. Is it okay to substitute eating sweet fruit for chocolate?

Can one do tashlich in their backyard koi pond?

Dear Rabbi, why is there a widespread custom on Rosh Hashanah to eat sweet apples dipped in honey?

Now that Rosh Hashanah has passed, G-d has already irrevocably decreed how much income I will earn in the coming year. Suppose the amount G-d has decided for me is insufficient to cover my most basic cost of living. What options do I have?

How do you respond to Shanna Tova?

If Rosh Hashanah is celebrated during Shabbat, is the shofar sounded

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.

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?