121. An alternative explanation of "they who made him" IS THAT IT REFERS TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, AND THE PERSON'S FATHER AND MOTHER, since man is made in partnership between man, his wife, and the Holy One, blessed be He. And about this secret it is written: "Let Us make man" (Beresheet 1:26), "Us," implying a partnership WITH HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER. For we have learned that the Holy One, blessed be He, made three craftsmen with whom to produce the world, namely, heaven, earth and water, and each one of them served for one day, AND THEN LATER each served FOR A SECOND DAY, as previously.

122. On the first day heaven produced its craft, as it is written, "And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Beresheet 1:3). On the second day water gave of its craft, as it is written: "And Elohim said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters..." (Ibid. 6), where half the waters ascended on high and half remained below; and had the waters not divided there would have been no world. On the third day the earth did as it was commanded, as it is written: "Let the earth bring forth grass... And the earth brought forth grass" (Ibid. 11-12).

123. So far each OF THE THREE CRAFTSMEN had produced of its craft and they had done what they had been commanded to do. Three other days remained IN THE ACT OF CREATION. On the fourth day, the first craftsman, HEAVEN, was commanded to do its craft, as it is written: "And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven..." (Ibid. 14), and so we have the skies. On the fifth day it was again the turn of the second craftsman, water, as it is written: "And Elohim said, Let the waters swarm..." (Ibid. 20). On the sixth day the earth again produced its craft, as it is written: "And Elohim said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures" (Ibid. 24).

124. These three craftsmen having finished their tasks, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: I have one more creation to make, namely Man. Join yourselves together and let us, I with you, make Man. The body shall be made by you, but I will be a partner with you BY GIVING THE SOUL, and we shall make Man. And just as formerly the three craftsmen worked in a partnership IN THE ACT OF CREATION, so also was it subsequently WITH THE CREATION OF MAN. There is the father, with whom He made the works of heaven and the works of the water, FROM WHOM COMES THE WHITENESS IS IN MAN; and the woman, who is the third craftsman, like the earth, FROM WHOM COMES THE REDNESS IN THE BABY. And then there is the Holy One, blessed be He, who participated with them, FROM WHOM COMES THE SOUL. And in respect of this secret, the text has "they who made him" IN REFERENCE TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, A PERSON'S FATHER AND HIS MOTHER.

125. And even though his father and his mother might have departed from this world, a man rejoices with all the three partners of his making, as we have learned: When a man involves the Holy One, blessed be He, in his rejoicing, the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to the Garden of Eden, and takes his father and mother from there, for they are partners with Him, and brings them with Him to that rejoicing, and all of them are there together but people do not know it. When, on the other hand, a man is in trouble, the Holy One, blessed be He, is there with him alone, and He does not inform his father and mother, as it is written: "In my distress I called upon Hashem, and cried to my Elohim" (Tehilim 18:7).