Kaisipang Hudyo sa Isaias 43:21: Ner Mitzvah

From the aspect of this lack which is inherent in the creation were born these four empires, who took royalty/kingship/dominion from Yisrael. As this nation [Yisrael] was created for the Glory of Hashem, as it's written: (Isiah 43:21) "This nation I created to speak of my praise". These four empires that inherited rulership from Yisrael detract from the glory of Hashem in the this lower world. For even if one is to find something within them which augments the honor of Hashem's name, as we will explain, for [as people say to a hornet] neither any of your stingers nor any of your honey does Hashem desire, for the essence of his Glory is when Hashem is One in his world and there is none beside him, and this particularly the other nations diminish. No nation was created for this with the exception of Yisrael, for they also are one, as is hinted at in the verse: (Isiah 43,21) "This nation I created to speak of my praise". For in this verse is the phrase "This Nation" ["עם "זו], and the Gematria of the word זו is 13, which is the also the Gematria of the word One [אחד]. For Yisrael are 13 tribes including the tribe of Levi, for Ephraim and Menashe are two (Of the twelve brothers, Yosef is split into his two sons which makes 13). And thus, we find a parallel between the word One [אחד] and the tribes. The Tribe of Levi is a singular tribe and separated from all the other tribes, and it a tribe unto itself, and it is represented by the א [Aleph] in the word אחד [One], for א represents singularity [as the Gematria of Aleph is 1]. And the ח [Chet] corresponds to the children of the Foremother [Rachel and Leah] for they are eight outside of Levi [Reuven, Shimon, Yehuda, Issaschar, Zvulin, Binyamin, Ephriam, Menashe] and this is hinted at in the ח of אחד. The other 4 [ד] are the children of the maidservants [Billah and Zilpah who gave birth to Gad, Asher, Dan, and Naftali]. There the verse says "This Nation" ["עם "זו] to allude to the Oneness of Yisrael, "they will speak of my praise" the essential praise here is that Hashem should be One with nothing besides. This [the number of tribes] is not accidental but purposefully done by Hashem from the outset of creation, for this nation [Yisrael] testifies that Hashem is One, as it is said in the Midrash that Yisrael testify about Hashem that he is One. We don't have room to expand on this idea here. But the four empires nullify the unity of God in the world, for the take rulership from Yisrael, and they [Yisrael] testify on the Unity of Hashem. Therefore, at the end of the four empires, when Kingship/Royalty will return to Yisrael, the following is written (Obadiah 1:21): "For liberators shall march up on Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esau; and dominion shall be the LORD’s." and in (Zecharia 14,9) "Hashem will be King over all the world - on that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One." And this is as we have said, that the empires are four and this number represents a deviation from Unity. For a central point which has no sides and is singular is One, as is known, and it is impossible that there could be two corresponding to a center, for a center is one and one alone. And the directions are divergent, for this one stretches to the East, and this one the opposite direction to the West, and this to the South and this to the North. If you think deeply you will realize that these four directions are definitionally divergent, and therefore they are the antithesis of Unity. As such, Yisrael is concealed in a hint in the verse at the beginning of creation: " בראשית". [This word, the first in the Torah, classically translated as "in the beginning" is deeply problematic from a grammatical standpoint. The Maharal quotes Rashi quoting the Midrash on how to resolve this conflict with a different translation]. For the sake of Yisrael was the world created! They are the primary dependent entity created by Hashem, and therefore it is appropriate that they be hinted to at the beginning of creation. A similar idea is seen in the hinting of the four empires, which is a result of a definitional lack found in the creation through its inherent lack of being created [as we have at length seen above].