Avital Hochstein. The First Covenant in Tanakh. Of the many profound lessons that Parashat Noach teaches us about relationships, we'll focus on the one we learn from the covenant, the berit, that God makes with Noach in the wake of the flood. A covenant is, fundamentally, a record of the terms of a relationship. Reading the terms of a covenant can teach us about the components and terms of that relationship. This is the first covenant that appears in Tanakh and its function is self-restraint in the name of sustaining and preserving relationship. This covenant presents a model: Any successful set of relationships is predicated on knowing one’s weaknesses and putting systems in place to deal with one’s own limitations. The second of Rabbi Avital Hochstein's weekly Divrei Torah for 5777.