zera)."} 64:{"position":8,"content":"

In the following chapter, Abram becomes Abraham, a father of a multitude of nations. God then adds that He will fulfill His covenant with Abraham and his seed, and that this will be expressed through the ritual of circumcision. The son born to Sarah will be their covenantal seed (17:19-21), rather than Ishmael, who will be only a biological heir. When, later on in the narrative, Ishmael taunts and derides Isaac, God instructs the patriarch to banish Ishmael “since (only) through Isaac shall your seed (zera) be called (Gen. 21:10)."} 65:{"position":9,"content":"Hence Abraham is to be a father of a multitude of nations; any people who live lives of compassionate righteousness and moral justice (abiding by at least the seven Noahide laws of morality), who believe in the one God and who spread His name and His desire for universal redemption throughout the world are to be considered children (banim) of Abraham, and may be our partners in redeeming the world. This is not dependent on acceptance of the Mosaic Code."} 66:{"position":10,"content":"Only Isaac, however, is considered Abraham’s seed, and only Isaac is part of the Abrahamic covenant, which includes the commandment of circumcision marking the eternal relationship between God and His special nation; it is only descendants of Isaac who will enter the second covenant at Sinai and be responsible for keeping the 613 commandments of the Torah."} 67:{"position":11,"content":"A ben or biological child has the same DNA as the parent, and so Ishmael has Abrahamic identity. But zera goes one step further; Isaac has covenantal continuity."} 68:{"position":12,"content":"A biological son who marries outside the Jewish faith retains his biological identity with his forebears, but s

Seeds and sons

A biological child, like Ishmael, has the same DNA as the parent, but ‘seed’ goes one step further; Isaac has covenantal continuity.