Question 1:
Yeshayahu 45:7 describes the fact that Adonai created rah.
Bereshit 1:31 tells us that Adonai did watch all that he had made and saw that it was tov me’od.
If something like rah is created and one of the components of that which is called tov me’od then..
What is rah good for? (why was it created in the first place?)
Question 2:
Why was it forbidden to take knowledge of rah if HaShem created rah; or created the tree of knowledge tov v’rah? Why wouldn’t HaShem allow the first human beings to take knowledge that which is tov and that which is of rah? (why else does this verse says: ‘knowledge tov V’rah? – tov AND rah). Because from a human view it would seem that this knowledge/understanding could help us to do the good/right thing and refrain from doing the bad thing.
Answer:
The purpose of evil in this world is the discussion of many philosophical works throughout through out the ages, see Rav Moshe Chaim Luzatto’s Derech Hashem [The Way of God] for an extensive discussion. The “one line” answer would be that G-d created the possibility for evil and darkness in order to enable us to have free will and be tested in this world, to have faith and trust in Him even when things seem bad.
Eating from the Tree of Knowledge is also from the most esoteric passages of the Torah and not to be taken at face value. See Nefesh Hachaim from Rav Chaim Vlozhin who explains that in fact Adam and Eve knew of good and evil but were able to clearly seperate one from the other. Eating from the Tree internalized the 2 and “confused” mankind from then on, making it difficult and at times impossible to see clearly between good and evil.
