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Diamonds and the Torah share an intrinsic connection unlike any other. Which parallels can be drawn between the two, and what can we learn from their powerful bond?
Diamonds are mentioned in writing for the first time in the Torah. They are named as the sixth stone in the Choshen HaMishpat – the Jewish High Priest’s breastplate.
While it is outside of our scope here, it is worth mentioning that over the years, diamonds have played a key role in the business dealings of many Jewish communities, giving way to an international industry and the Israeli Diamond Exchange. Diamonds have been a source of great joy, creativity, and a valuable export of Israel to the world. Likewise, the Torah is undoubtedly Judaism’s primary gift to humanity.
The Torah deals with creation. The first pages of the Book of Genesis describe the creation of the world from a developmental and evolutionary perspective. Diamonds, too, are a creative substance, made from black carbon powder that is transformed into raw white material. The carbon atom is fundamental to the creation of all living things in the universe. A diamond’s entire essence is its metamorphosis from nothing to something, which parallels the concept of “yesh m’ayin” in the Torah.
Both diamonds and the Torah are Divine and transformative, serving as a springboard for mankind’s growth and development. The Torah does so through its sacred letters and the wisdom acquired by contemplating and studying its holy texts. Diamonds do so through the light that passes through them and reaches into the inner light of mankind.
Diamonds and the Torah differ in terms of the human capital that surrounds them. Women, whose faith is the source of their strength, have become guardians of the light of the diamond, while men, whose inclination is toward academic pursuits, have traditionally been the guardians of the sanctity of the Torah. The unique convergence between male and female, between “yin” and “yang,” is encapsulated by the holistic unity of the Diamond Bible.
Our fascination with diamonds centers around polishing them to maximize the light within. What’s true of diamonds, and of the Torah as well, is that they function in the dimension of light. An exploration of light in the Torah is based on the letters אורייתא “Orayta,” while the study of light in diamonds deals with physical polishing to bring out their maximum luminosity.
Diamonds and the Torah both warrant our deep and respectful scrutiny. Both hint at hidden secrets of light and mysteries that await discovery by mankind.
The Torah leaves its eternal mark in the spiritual realm, of which it is justifiably considered the pinnacle. No religious entity in the world has impacted humanity in the way the Torah has. So too, in the material world. There is no corner of the world, however remote, in which the word “diamond” does not arouse great material reverence. By weight, diamonds are the most expensive substance in the world, and there is not one person who doesn’t yearn for them in some form or another.
The way of life described in the Torah involves the spiritual world overcoming the material world. What better way is there to embody this than through a diamond? Diamonds undergo a shift in their material state of being and change into a stone of light, a scientific, spiritual bridge of light that connects heavenly light to the light in mankind. Diamonds extract spirit from matter.
The word diamond יהלום derives all of its letters from the word God אלוהים. Letters have the power to create reality and imbue an essence to everything in the universe through their myriad combinations. The fact that the word for diamond is composed of the same letters as God’s name, only in a different order, is a testament to the ultimate achievable power of creation.