There are two kinds of Divine pleasure:
וּשְׁנֵי מִינֵי נַחַת רוּחַ לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ לְמַעְלָה:
one from the complete annihilation of the sitra achara and the conversion of bitter to sweet and of darkness to light (—the former referring to the emotional faculties of the animal soul and the latter to its mental faculties), which is accomplished by tzaddikim,
אֶחָד – מִבִּיטּוּל הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא לְגַמְרֵי, וְאִתְהַפְּכָא מִמְּרִירוּ לְמִתְקָא וּמֵחֲשׁוֹכָא לִנְהוֹרָא, עַל יְדֵי הַצַּדִּיקִים.
and the second when the sitra achara is subdued while it is still at its strongest and most powerful, soaring like an eagle,
וְהַשֵּׁנִית – כַּד אִתְכַּפְיָא הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא בְּעוֹדָהּ בְּתָקְפָּהּ וּגְבוּרָתָהּ וּמַגְבִּיהַּ עַצְמָהּ כַּנֶּשֶׁר,
and from this height, G-d topples it in response to human initiative, i.e., as a result of one’s efforts at subduing the sitra achara in his soul. This is accomplished by beinonim.
וּמִשָּׁם מוֹרִידָהּ ה' בְּאִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְתַתָּא עַל יְדֵי הַבֵּינוֹנִים.
Each of the two aforementioned categories—those who were “created righteous” and who were “created wicked”—brings about one of these two kinds of Divine gratification.
This is alluded to in the verse, “And make me delicacies, such as I love,”;)
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: "וַעֲשֵׂה לִי מַטְעַמִּים כַּאֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתִּי" –
where the word matamim (“delicacies”) is written in the plural, indicating two kinds of pleasure.
"מַטְעַמִּים" לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים; שְׁנֵי מִינֵי נַחַת רוּחַ,
These words are the charge of the Shechinah to its children, the community of Israel, as explained in Tikkunei Zohar—that with these words, G-d asks of the Jewish people to please Him with their divine service.
וְהוּא מַאֲמַר הַשְּׁכִינָה לְבָנֶיהָ – כְּלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּדְפֵירְשׁוּ בַּתִּיקּוּנִים,
Just as with material food, there are two kinds of delicacies—
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁבְּמַטְעַמִּים גַּשְׁמִיִּים, דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, יֵשׁ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי מַעֲדַנִּים:
one of sweet and luscious foods and the other of sharp or sour articles which are unpleasant to eat in their natural state,
אֶחָד, מִמַּאֲכָלִים עֲרֵבִים וּמְתוּקִים, וְהַשֵּׁנִי, מִדְּבָרִים חֲרִיפִים אוֹ חֲמוּצִים,
but have been well spiced and prepared so that they become delicacies which revive the soul—so, too, are there two kinds of spiritual delicacies.
רַק שֶׁהֵם מְתוּבָּלִים וּמְתוּקָּנִים הֵיטֵב עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ מַעֲדַנִּים לְהָשִׁיב הַנֶּפֶשׁ.
One is provided by tzaddikim, who are occupied solely with matters that are “good” and “sweet”—holy matters. Having conquered the evil of their animal soul, they no longer need grapple with the sitra achara. Their divine service consists of increasing the light of holiness. The second kind of delicacy is provided by beinonim, who are occupied with “bitter” matters, with battling against the sitra achara in their soul, and with the evil thoughts that it spawns.
This is indicated in the verse, “The L-rd has made everything for His sake, even the wicked for the day of evil.”;)
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: "כֹּל פָּעַל ה' לַמַּעֲנֵהוּ, וְגַם רָשָׁע לְיוֹם רָעָה";
How can it be said that the rasha was created for G-d’s sake?
This means, however, that he should repent of his evil and turn his evil into “day” and light above,
פֵּירוּשׁ, שֶׁיָּשׁוּב מֵרִשְׁעוֹ וְיַעֲשֶׂה הָרָע שֶׁלּוֹ יוֹם וְאוֹר לְמַעְלָה,
when the sitra achara is subdued and the glory of G-d is uplifted on high.
כַּד אִתְכַּפְיָא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא וְאִסְתַּלֵּק יְקָרָא דְקוּדְשָׁא־בְּרִיךְ־הוּא לְעֵילָא.
Thus, the meaning of the words “even the wicked for the day of evil” is that the purpose of the wicked is to transform the “evil” into “day.”
Footnotes
6.
Genesis 27:4.
7.
Proverbs 16:4.