Does Genesis say where evil came from?

Understanding evil requires that we understand the nature of sin.

Sin did not come into the world by the serpent or by Eve but by Adam [1].

What did the serpent do?

   Ge 3:1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Since the serpent was 'more subtle' than the other animals, the other animals must have been 'less subtle'. 'Less subtle' means 'more obvious'.

There is only one law, so there is only one temptation, to eat the fruit. How could the other animals be more obvious in tempting Eve to eat the fruit? One might imagine that they sang and danced an early rendition of Hakuna Matata.

But most likely, they were eating the fruit and not dying. [4] Eve would think to herself, why don't they die? Oh... THEY are animals, and WE are man.

But the serpent challenged the difference between man and animals, suggesting that they are the same. Both were created by God with instincts. When the animal lives by instinct, eating what looks and smells good, it glorifies God who created him that way. Wouldn't Eve glorify God also if she lived by instinct? Doesn't that fruit look and smell good? [2][3]

The essence of Eve's transgression was in putting the instinctive flesh before her 'image of God'. The flesh was good and her spirit nature was good, but they had to be in the proper perspective.

Whenever we live instinctively, like animals, we commit the original sin. We have not placed God's word foremost in our life. The flesh is good as long as it is second, in subjection to God's word.

The result is that God gave us many reminders that we are more than animals. He gave us clothing so that we are not naked like animals. He gave us marriage so we don't procreate like animals. Meal prayers so we don't eat instinctively like animals. Mezzuzas so we go and come through space mindful of God rather than instinctively like animals. The Sabbath so we don't pass time like animals.

Though Eve was deceived, her transgression did not warrant death. In a later time, she could have washed herself and been unclean until the evening. But Adam ate the fruit with his eyes wide open. His sin was direct rebellion against God. This was the moment that sin came into the world. This was evil.

Oh... and the golden rule is just the opposite of original sin. Rather than instinctively putting yourself first, you think of others first. This is the nature of love.

[1] Ro 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

[2] Ge 3:6 ¶ And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

[3] Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch restates the temptation:

God may have said to avoid the tree, but the question is: Do you want to eat from the tree? Do you desire it? And let's say you do desire the tree. Where do you think those desires came from? Who put them inside you? Wasn't God the one who put them inside you? Certainly He did... He is your Maker... I don't know about you, the snake says, but if I were in your shoes -- here's how I would see it: Even if God said don't eat of the trees, so what? It's not the voice that speaks to you in words that's primary. It's the voice inside you that's primary...

[4]They were not commanded not to eat the fruit. There is no reason to suppose that they would die by doing so.