The Mishnah states (Avos 5:3), נסיונות עשרה כמה להודיע בכלם ועמד השלום עליו אבינו אברהם נתנסה השלום עליו אבינו אברהם של חבתו, "Avraham Avinu was tested ten times and he passed all ten tests. This is to let us know how much Hashem loves Avraham Avinu."
In this Mishnah, Avraham is called אברהם אבינו, "Avraham, our father." The Tosfos Yom Tov zt'l explains that each test that Avraham passed brought many blessings and salvations for his descendants.
The Mishnah emphasizes that Avraham is Avinu, our father, and we, as his descendants, benefit from all his good deeds. We, too, emulate Avraham's ways and try to pass all 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, לגמור המלאכה עליך לא ממנה לפטר חורין בן אתה ולא, "You are not obligated to finish, but you are also not permitted to raise your hands in despair." We must do what we can.
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; 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 who was sent to the sea with a bag over his shoulders and was told to return when the bag is 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 up to his knees in the water, trying to catch fish with his hands. Half of his sack was already filled. "Come home," they called to him. The golem showed them that his bag wasn't yet full. They said, "We don't need any more fish." The golem heard that they didn't need fish, so he turned the sack over and freed the fish.
This story shows the foolishness of those who think that it's either everything or nothing. We must cherish whatever we accomplish, even if it is a little.
This also applies to guarding oneself against aveiros. Of course, our genuine desire is to be completely clean from aveiros, but most people will admit that it is close to impossible to achieve. Nevertheless, grasp whatever you can. Each success is precious.
Reb Ezriel Tauber zt'l once brought a bachur to Reb Chaim Kanievsky Shlita. This bachur was at the very beginning stages of his teshuvah. He said that he wanted to keep Shabbos, but the main thing holding him back was his addiction to cigarettes. "I'm not ready to stop smoking for 25 hours," he explained. Reb Chaim took this question very seriously, and after contemplating for a few moments, Reb Chaim said to the young man, "Extinguishing a cigarette is also an aveirah. Therefore, when you finish a cigarette, don't extinguish it on Shabbos." Reb Chaim encouraged the bachur to keep as much of Shabbos as he could. He shouldn't look at Shemiras Shabbos as an all-or-nothing proposition. The bachur followed this counsel. He kept Shabbos when he wasn't extinguishing the cigarette, and he was careful not to cook or turn on the electricity, etc. It didn't take long, and he stopped smoking on Shabbos and eventually became a full shomer Shabbos.
Hashem told Avraham (15:5), השמימה הבט זרעך יהיה כה ויאמר ,אותם לספור תוכל אם הכוכבים וספור, "'Look up at the heaven and count the stars if you can.' Hashem said, 'This is how your children will be.'" Reb Meir Shapiro of Lublin zt'l explained that it is impossible to count the stars. But Hashem told Avraham to count them, so Avraham tried, and he began counting. Hashem said, זרעך יהיה כה, "This is how your children will be," meaning that when they are given a commandment, they don't say it's impossible. They try, and they do whatever they can.
Hashem told Avraham, וממולדתך מארצך לך לך אביך ומבית. The Ropshitzer Rav zt'l explains that if Avraham would sit and contemplate about his origins, about his father the avid idol worshiper, he would be discouraged, and he would say, "How can a person like me serve Hashem? What yichus do I have?" Similarly, if Avraham would think about his own history, the days of his youth when he worshipped idols (as the Rambam tells us), he would feel unworthy of serving Hashem. Therefore, Hashem tells him, מארצך לך לך אביך ומבית וממולדתך, don't think about your past. Go away from those depressing thoughts, and then you will be able to serve Hashem.
