A Diamond With A Flaw

“You shall place both stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, remembrance stones for the Children of Israel. Aaron shall carry their names before HASHEM on both of his shoulders as a remembrance.” — Shemot 28:12

Moshe was commanded to make garments for the Kohanim

HASHEM told Moshe to engrave the names of the twelve shvatim onto the stones of the Ephod as a remembrance. Rashi explains that this was so that the memory of Reuvain, Shimon, Levi, etc. would be invoked when the Kohain Gadol did the avodah, and HASHEM would then remember their righteousness.

The shvatim sinned

This Rashi seems to be difficult to understand. The avodah of the Kohain Gadol is vital and highly sensitive; the world’s very existence depends upon it. As a result, there are many items that are avoided in the avodah so as not to bring up even the faintest memories of sin. While there is no question that the shvatim were men of extraordinary greatness, that greatness was also tainted with the sin of selling their brother. They had a rationale for what they did, but they still plotted and carried out an attempt to kill Yosef, one of the greatest tzaddikim in the history of mankind. Didn’t that sin permanently affect who they were? Shouldn’t that be reason enough not to mention their names in such a critical situation?

Every diamond has a flaw

The answer is based on an issue of perspective. A diamond is an object of beauty, yet even a minor imperfection can greatly devalue it. A small flaw can transform a priceless gem into an almost worthless stone. However, not every flaw destroys a diamond’s value.

Imagine that there are two large diamonds in front of you, one a beautifully cut jewel with a minor flaw, and the other the same as the first, but flawless – a perfect diamond. We would assume that the flawless diamond would be far more valuable than the other.

If we were to ask a diamond expert to appraise the two, there is no doubt that he would tell us that the difference between them is huge. He would say that the diamond with the minor flaw is worth a fortune while the completely flawless diamond is almost valueless — because it is a fake. One of the signs that a diamond is real is that it has a flaw. While it may be a very minor imperfection and almost unnoticeable, all genuine diamonds have flaws. The only perfect diamonds are made of cubic zirconium, and are costume jewelry.

HASHEM created the human, knowing he would sin

So too, the human. When HASHEM formed man, it was not for him to be perfect. Perfection rests in the realm of the angels. An angel will spend its entire existence without sin. As such, angles are perfect. But angels aren’t man. Man and man alone was given the unique opportunity in all of Creation: to determine his destiny either by becoming the greatest of all or by sinking below the animals.

To allow man to create who he would be for eternity, HASHEM gave him free will. However, free will doesn’t mean the theoretical ability to choose; it means being put into situations where either choice is viable and either option is real. Man has to be challenged. To allow for that, man has to be tempted to choose either good or bad and be given the ability to make mistakes. Every man has, and every man will make mistakes. Some are large, and some are small, but the idea of man living without sin hasn’t happened yet and will not happen ever.

At the end of his days, man isn’t measured by how much he sinned. He is measured by how great he became. The real damage of sin is that it prevents growth. If a person becomes mired in sin, then his focus is diverted, his energies consumed, and he doesn’t become a fraction of what he could. Even still, it is a given that every man has sinned and will sin.

The shvatim were like flawed diamonds

The answer to the question on Rashi seems to be that the shvatim were in fact men of unimaginable greatness, but they also had flaws and sinned. Each would be compared to a 200-carat diamond with an imperfection. They were huge, beautiful diamonds – with flaws.

When viewing a diamond, you can’t see the flaw. To perceive it, you need to look through a jeweler’s loop that magnifies the stone by a power of ten times or more. Only via direct scrutiny does the flaw become noticeable. It is always present, but the eye doesn’t see it. All the eye can see is glimmer and reflected light in an object of extreme beauty.

I will be like a diamond with a flaw

This Chazal tells us that our imperfections are what they are, and unless we remove them with the process of teshuva, they will be on our permanent record. However, all that means is that I will have flaws, like a diamond. Maybe I’ll be a two-carat diamond, maybe a four-carat – but a precious gem nonetheless. While the blemishes will be there, so too will the shining brilliance of a jewel. One doesn’t cancel out the other. The flaw isn’t eliminated, nor is the brilliance eradicated. Both are there. I will be a diamond with a flaw.

My work is to improve the quality of the diamond and to eliminate its faults. By learning Torah, doing mitzvahs, and working on my middos, I change the weight, color, and clarity of the stone. Who I will be for eternity is in my hands. If I focus my attention and energies on growth, my reward will be perfection more valuable than the finest diamonds ever mined.

 By Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier