<b>And God remembered Noah (Gen. 8:1).</b> May it please our master to teach us the benediction recited upon witnessing a rainbow. Thus did our masters teach us: Upon seeing a rainbow, one should recite the benediction: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who doth remember His covenant, is faithful in His covenant, and fulfills His word. This blessing is found in the Mishnah.<sup class="footnote-marker">12</sup><i class="footnote">Actually it is found in Berakhot 59b and not in the Mishnah.</i> How do we know that it is also derived from the Torah? Because it is written: <i>I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be as a sign of a covenant</i> (Gen. 9:13).

God’s way is not man’s way. As long as a man’s friend lives, his friendship for him continues, but after his friend’s death, his concern for him ceases. The Holy One, blessed be He, however, does not act in that manner. When Abraham died, the Holy One, blessed be He, continued to love his son Isaac, as it is said: <i>And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed Isaac, his son</i> (ibid. 25:11). It may happen that a king bestows gifts of silver, gold, and raiment upon his friend, and the friend then sails away. These possessions may be lost when a storm arises, and the king is powerless to protect him from the sea or from pirates. However, when the Holy One, blessed be He, presents a gift to his beloved one He guards it, as it is said: <i>The Lord bless thee and guard thee</i> (Num. 6:24). He blessed Abraham and guarded him, as it is said: <i>And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things</i> (Gen. 24:1). He acted similarly toward Isaac and Jacob.

If a storm should arise after a man boards ship, they hurl the animals and all his possessions into the sea, only the man is saved. Those in charge of the vessel do not have the same concern for the man’s animals and possessions as they have for the man himself, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is as concerned for the beast as for the man, as is said: <i>And His tender mercies are over all His works</i> (Ps. 145:9). Hence, Scripture says: <i>And God remembered Noah and every living thing</i> (Gen. 8:1).