3290 —הזכות הגדולה של כל פעולה, אפילו אלו שנראות כקטנות

B"H, 21 Shevat, 5715.

Brooklyn.

Havavac"h iy"a nu"n etc. known as Dr. Ullman

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter from 10/2 and was pleased to hear that Dr. Zuber is prepared to assist you...

It is surprising that you do not mention in your letter about your good activities in supporting and spreading Judaism in your area at present. For every good action in such matters, our master the Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya—decisor in the hidden aspects of Torah—and the Shulchan Aruch—decisor in the revealed aspects of Torah—in his holy book Tanya at the end of chapter 25, says that above it is eternal forever and ever, and only below is it subject to time (see there).

From this it is understood the great merit—and also responsibility—in every single action, even those that appear minor and insignificant to human eyes. There is also an example for this from the field you are engaged in: cancer research (may G‑d spare us), where it begins with a single cell growing abnormally; if this growth is not checked, it brings destruction and ruin to the entire group it is part of. If this is so regarding negative outcomes, how much more so for positive ones: when a person sets out to influence even "one cell" to grow and flourish supernaturally but for good, within this lies the success of the entire group that this cell belongs to. The explanation for someone like yourself—who works in this research—is surely unnecessary.

Now I await good news from you. Thank you very much.

With blessings for success awaiting good tidings.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that every positive act—even those that seem small—has eternal significance and can impact an entire community. Just as one cell can affect a whole body, so too can one mitzvah uplift many.