The Basics of Judaism: Sin and Repentance: The Free Choice of Adam:
Did Adam have the option of not eating from the Tree of Knowledge? What would have happened if he hadn't?
Man was created with free will; that's why he can be rewarded or punished
for his actions. How free will is reconciled with G-d's knowledge of
future events is a classical philosophical problem, but Adam definitely
had the option of not eating from the tree. If he had not eaten from it,
he would have remained innocent and would have enjoyed an immortal,
labor-free existence in the Garden. Since he did eat from it, the world
became as we know it; it isn't paradise, but it's full of challenges that
provide us with daily opportunities for spiritual development.
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