Introduction This mishnah lists fourteen things (10 + 3 + 1) that seem to defy the laws of nature. These are problematic because God is supposed to have created a world that acts upon the laws of nature. In order to solve this metaphysical problem, the mishnah claims that these supernatural items were created for this very purpose during the six days of creation. They were created during this in-between time, right before creation ended at the end of the sixth day. These items are therefore part of God’s ultimate plan and they are not in essence “supernatural”.

Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the staff [of Moses], [7] the shamir, [8] the letters, [9] the writing, [10] and the tablets. And some say: also the demons, the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say: and also tongs, made with tongs. [1] the mouth of the earth: which swallowed Korah and his congregation (Numbers 16:32). [2] the mouth of the well: that gave the children of Israel water in the desert. (See Numbers 21:16-18). [3] the mouth of the donkey: that spoke to Balaam (Numbers 22:28). [4] the rainbow: that was a sign to Noah (Genesis 9:13). [5] the manna: (Exodus 16:15). [6] the staff [of Moses]: (Exodus 4:17). [7] the shamir: this was the strong stone used to cut rocks for the breastplate used during the first temple. [8] the letters: the shape of the letters used to write the Ten Commandments. [9] the writing: See Exodus 32:16. The writing, according to legend, could be seen from all four sides of the tablets. [10] and the tablets: this refers to the first set of the tablets (ibid.) Moses made the second set of tablets (Exodus 34:1). Demons: In the ancient world, people firmly believed in demons, much as we believe in bacteria and viruses even if we have never seen one. These being unnatural phenomenon, must have been created on the twilight of the sixth day. The grave of Moses: Since no one was there for Moses’s burial, we could surmise that it was not created by any human being (Deuteronomy 34:6). And the ram of Abraham, our father: which seemed to have miraculously appeared before Abraham sacrificed Isaac (Genesis 22:13). The mishnah teaches that God all along created the ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place. Otherwise it might seem that if the ram had not gotten caught in the bushes, Abraham would have been allowed to sacrifice his son. Tongs made with tongs: One cannot forge tongs in fire, without already having a set of tongs. The first set of tongs must therefore have been made during the twilight of the sixth day.  Why do you think that the mishnah divides its list into three parts, a list, then a list of three and then one last item?  Why aren’t miracles such as the splitting of the sea and the standing still of the sun mentioned here?