The Bible commands Adam and later Noah to “be fruitful and multiply,” indicating the importance of nurturing and protecting children, who are created in God’s image, in fulfilling God’s purposes. God’s promise to Abraham that his offspring will become a great nation, again indicating that children are a blessing. The command, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2) is given to the entire community, men, women and children. Boys are physically marked with Holiness by virtue of their circumcision, a practice initiated by Abraham at God’s command on all male children, making them Holy, explicitly shows them to be recipients of divine care.