This Shabbat, we will read Parashat Balak, which features—among other things—a talking donkey. According to rabbinic legend, that donkey was one of ten magical items created at twilight before the first Shabbat. For some summer fun this week, we’ll explore some of those symbols and what they might teach us today.

While I am truly an excellent planner in many regards, the ability to match a recipe and a shopping list continues to elude me. I cannot count the number of times I have gotten excited about a particular recipe—and often gotten Orli excited along with me—gone to the store, settled in to bake, and realized that I did not have some specialty ingredient, or enough of something, or a particular kitchen gadget. Often, this attempt will end in tears and frustration, and not always from the 4.5 year old.

Perhaps knowing this about the Divine, the midrash suggests that after the 10 supernatural items are created, with just a few minutes to go before Shabbat begins, God plans ahead. One of the things that God makes? Tongs. Knowing this about myself, I was particularly struck by a piece written by Dr. Arielle Levites, a scholar of Jewish education, about the tongs. She writes:

I love this mishna because of the strange detail of the tongs and what it says about how the rabbis understood God as the ultimate planner. The list of items suggests that the rabbis imagined a God who saw the whole future of the human world unfold and asked: what will they need that I should set them up with now? God is a fan of, what we call in education, backward design. In the inclusion of the tongs we also see the kind of mundane details that, to me, epitomize a Jewish way of caring. It’s not about only the grandiose and magical but also the ordinary, technical details that humans need to thrive.

One of my favorite blessings for the community offers thanks for all those who faithfully serve their communities. The prayer mentions those who bring wine for the communal kiddush, and candles for Shabbat and Havdallah, those who do the unglamorous, and often unseen, tasks of supporting the community. Just as God knew that the world needs mundane tools to do holy work, so too do our communities. Last Shabbat, we welcomed new members of the Board of Directors, including the new President of the Board, Steve Bram. And, this is the season of our membership renewal, where we appreciate you for your continued commitment to our community.

Thanks to all who pick up the tongs of leadership, and thanks to all of you who support the daily work of this community.

— Rabbi Sari Laufer