Last week we discussed the manner in which many of us get distracted from our goal of achieving the ultimate in life and wind up putting our focus and energies into building that which is temporary and trivial.

In fact, there was recently an eruption of applause in Geneva’s Beau Rivage Hotel as a prominent London-based jeweler broke the record for the world’s largest buy in an auction at $46,158,674.

And what did he buy with this sum of money that could have fed a country’s worth of impoverished?

A diamond. It was pink.

Congratulations.

And guess whose record he broke with this large sum.

Yes, you guessed it – his own.

A little while ago this same character bought a different rock at a different auction for $34 million.

In this buyer’s case, I think it is fair to say that we are not talking about merely living in luxury and with added comforts. And don’t assume this is purely for investment purposes either. In the case of this jeweler, we are talking about something much deeper. There is a search for meaning going on here; for that which goes on and is everlasting; for eternity.

By attempting to replace God with rocks, this jeweler thinks that he will satisfy the passion for growth, ascendance, and elevation that burns within him – but, of course, that will not do the trick. And, deep down, he knows this to be true.

While he may be able to create a lasting name for himself and leave behind a legacy for generations, all the rocks, stones, boulders, and pebbles on the planet could never be a substitute for one’s inherent personal value and ultimate worth. Compared to that, showboating the value of a rock collection as if it is something of essential, objective meaning is like Coca-Cola – a prime example of an artificial product – advertising itself as the Real Thing.

Rabbi Eliyahu Yaakov is a cutting edge international speaker on Kabbalah, relationships, parenting, and life, and the author of the #1 Amazon’s Best Seller, Jewish By Choice: A Kabbalistic Take on Life & Judaism.

Rabbi Eliyahu is scheduled to be in North America on November 5-22. To book a presentation, email rey@getyourjewon.com