Rabbi Shanks
Rabbi Judy Shanks is a native of Phoenix, Arizona, where she grew up in a Reform synagogue and participated actively in her local and regional Youth Groups. She earned her B.A. degree with honors in Religion from Pomona College in Claremont, California in 1977. After college she served as the Director of the summer Day Camp at the Jewish Community Center in Walnut Creek, CA. In 1979 she entered Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, first in Jerusalem and then in New York City. She earned her Masters Degree and was ordained as Rabbi in 1984. From 1984 - 1991 Rabbi Shanks served Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond, California. The following year she taught Jewish Studies at the University of San Francisco and then joined the clergy team at Temple Isaiah in the Fall of 1992. Rabbi Shanks has a special interest in Jewish feminist studies, the development of new rituals for life cycle events, liturgical poetry and modern Hebrew literature. She is the wife of Dr. James Gracer and the mother of Talia (age 20) and Mira (age 18).
Consider these questions—hard questions—and think to yourself what your answers would be. Read them slowly, more than once. If an answer comes quickly to mind the first time, then do yourself the favor of pushing yourself a little deeper the next time around. Here are the questions:
Parshat Matot / Num. 30:2 - 32:42
What do we do with the parts of the Torah that disturb us, that shock us, that push us to want to close the holy book in sheer disgust? For me, such a passage occurs in this week’s portion. The Israelites are camped on the east side of the Jordan, preparing to enter the Land of Israel and bring their 40-year trek to an end. But first God commands Moses: “Avenge the Israelites people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your kin.” (Num. 31:2)