Why You Shouldn’t Give Up on Mitzvot Even If You Fall

Shlomo asks: "Hello. I know young people who struggle to strengthen themselves in keeping the mitzvot, because they see that the Torah has so many commandments, and that halacha requires so many details and stringencies — like the laws of guarding one’s speech or laws of purity. They get discouraged because they keep falling again and again, and feel they can’t live up to the demands. How can we help them?"

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Dear Shlomo,

This is a very important and timely question. Many in our generation ask themselves: What’s the point of keeping mitzvot if I keep failing and committing sins anyway? This question can arise about any mitzvah, or even about any new resolution we try to take on. How many of us have tried, only to fail? And then we think: If I can’t do it perfectly, maybe I should just give up entirely.

Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen, the author of the classic Chofetz Chaim, describes this very struggle. He explains how the yetzer hara (evil inclination) discourages us from serving God: “The yetzer hara tells a person: What good will it do if you study and learn about the laws of forbidden speech? Do you really think you can guard your tongue for your whole life?” (Chofetz Chaim, Day 5, 5th of Nisan).

In the very next section, the Chofetz Chaim answers this argument with a simple, powerful parable. Ever since I first read it, I find myself sharing it with anyone in this struggle:

The Parable of the Jewels on the Shore

Imagine a tired man walking along the beach after a hard day’s work. Suddenly, he sees that the waves have washed up hundreds of thousands of pearls, diamonds, and gold coins. Right before him lies the opportunity to become wealthy for life!

But the man despairs: “There’s no way I can collect all of this. There’s too much. I’m too tired. I don’t have a cart big enough. And by morning, the sea will reclaim everything. It’s impossible! Only a superhuman person could gather it all. This is a lost cause.”

So, with sadness in his heart and empty hands, he walks away, leaving behind unimaginable treasures.

We would cry out to him: “What are you doing?! You don’t have to collect it all — just gather what you can! Every jewel you pick up will make you rich for years to come!”

The Lesson

Each mitzvah is a diamond, an eternal jewel. The Chofetz Chaim teaches that many people give up because they see they cannot do everything. One says: “Only a great tzaddik can never speak lashon hara. I can’t do that, so why even try?” Another says: “Why try to resist temptation if I’ll eventually fall again anyway?” Another thinks: “I’ll never learn the whole Torah at my age, so why bother studying at all?” Such thinking is like the man on the shore who refuses to pick up even a single jewel. 

Every mitzvah counts eternally. Even if you fail a hundred times, the one time you succeed is a priceless gem. Even if you fall often, one moment of restraint, one act of kindness, one prayer said with sincerity are treasures that last forever in the World to Come. One mitzvah done is greater than a thousand missed opportunities.

Encouragement

A wise person doesn’t give up. He gathers what he can, even the small and easy things, because he knows every jewel is of immeasurable value.

Every mitzvah you perform, every time you resist one sin, every effort you make, all goes into your eternal treasury. When we leave this world, the only thing we will truly take with us are the mitzvot we collected along the way.

Don’t aim for perfection, aim for progress. Every step forward is a jewel forever. This way of thinking transforms mitzvah observance from a crushing burden into an opportunity for treasure-hunting in this world, with eternal reward in the next.