Covenant: Relatives on Sacred Land

WORKSHOP by Rabbi Laura: What is a covenant, or, as we might say in modern English, a treaty? According to one Indigenous (Native American/First Nations) understanding, treaty is “the making of relatives.” A treaty unites people in a shared understanding of how to live together sustainably on the land. It involves both mind and heart, with specific agreements explored through ritual. One famous example is Black Elk’s story of a treaty between the Sioux and Ree people. Using the elements of that story, as re-told by the workshop leader, we will look anew at three Torah stories of covenant: God with Noah and creation (Gen. 8:15-9:17); God with Abraham and descendants (Gen. 15:1-15); God with Moses and the Israelites (Ex. 19-20). For each story, we will ask: How does this covenant make relatives? connect people with land? encourage ecological thinking? use ritual to teach and unite?