Someone came to the Chofetz Chaim zt'l and said he wanted to take his son out of yeshiva to learn a trade. The Chofetz Chaim asked, "Does your son succeed in Torah? Does he learn well in the yeshiva?" The father replied, "He studies quite well, but he won't become a Reb Akiva Eiger or the Pnei Yehoshua." In other words, the father was saying that he doesn’t think his son will turn out to be anyone more than a regular, good Jew. He won't be an outstanding gadol in Torah. So, he might as well learn a trade and earn a good parnassah.
The Chofetz Chaim changed the subject and spoke about some other matters. Then he asked the man what he does for parnassah. The man said, "I buy vegetables in the large market and sell them in my town. But I earn very little. Some produce becomes ruined while traveling, and some fall on the road and get lost. I barely make a living; I make just enough to buy bread and water for my home."
The Chofetz Chaim told him, "In my opinion, you should stop your business altogether. Anyway, you won't become a Rothchild. You won't be wealthy, so what is the purpose?" The man replied, "Yes Rothchild, not Rothchild, but I have to bring home some food for my children." The Chofetz Chaim replied, "Listen to what you are saying. You have to live (by selling vegetables), but your neshamah also has to live (by studying Torah), and every drop of Torah that your son learns will give you and your son life – spiritual life." The Chofetz Chaim explained to him that, like by a parnassah, one doesn't say, "I will only work if I can become very wealthy," because a drop of success in parnassah is also necessary, so, too, when it comes to Torah, one shouldn't say, "Either I become a genius in Torah, or I won't study at all." Even if you won't become a gadol in Torah, even if all your studies will just grant you one or two masechtos, it is still worthwhile.
The same applies to all aspects of avodas Hashem. The yetzer hara comes to a person and says, "I don't see that you will be from the greatest tzaddikim. It doesn't look like you will become a great oved Hashem. So why do you invest in avodas Hashem so much?" This isn't a valid claim because every small accomplishment is needed and worthwhile.
The Beis Aharon (p.2:) writes, "Be very happy. Everything you do in Avodas Hashem should be very precious to you. Think: 'I won't sell this merit for all the money in the world!' Even if it is merely just one good word, thought, or deed. Nothing will be lost, and great things will come from it, for you and perhaps for the entire Jewish nation. Do whatever you can – be it big or small. As people say, 'Whatever you grab in the market is worthwhile.'"
There's a tale about the Golem of Prague. Once, someone gave him a large bag, sent him to the sea, and told him to return home when the bag was filled with fish. Many hours passed, and the golem didn't return, so people went to see what happened to him. They found him standing on the edge of the sea, up to his knees in the water, trying to catch fish with his hands. His sack was half full. "Come home," they called to him. The golem showed them that his bag wasn't full yet. They said, "We don't need any more fish." The golem heard they didn’t need fish, so he turned the sack over, and all the fish were returned to the sea. This story is an excellent example of the "all or nothing" approach. We must cherish whatever we accomplish, even if it is a little.
We emulate Avraham's ways and try to pass all the tests Hashem sends us. However, as everyone knows, there won't be 100% success. We will fail sometimes. Perhaps we will fail most of the time. But that doesn't excuse us from trying our best. As Chazal (Avos 2:16) say, חורין בן אתה ולא לגמור המלאכה עליך לא ממנה לפטר, "You are not obligated to finish, but you are also not permitted to raise your hands in despair." We must do what we can.
