The Rebbe taught me not to crush goodwill

In the late 80s, the Rebbe began accepting a “receiving line,” extending a holy blessing and handing a U.S. dollar bill to each person who waited to see him. The purpose of the money was to encourage his seekers to give charity. Thousands of people from all walks of life would descend on Brooklyn for this brief yet meaningful encounter with the Rebbe.

One Sunday morning, my brother and I waited in line with our father to get the Rebbe’s blessing. As the wait stretched on, my father tried to keep us kids — I was about 5 at the time — patient. He gave us each a quarter, assuring us that we could go to the candy store and buy gumballs if we waited patiently.

The line sped up before we knew it, and we stood in front of the Rebbe. The Rebbe gave my brother the usual blessing and a dollar. My brother should have continued walking to the exit. Instead, he took out the quarter my father had given him for candy and gave it to the Rebbe. I think my brother thought, “You gave me your dollar for charity, so I want to give charity with my money.”

My brother’s sincere gesture was spontaneous and out of the ordinary, but the Rebbe took it very seriously. He signaled to an aide for a box to be brought — this carton was used for gifts brought by dignitaries such as books, plaques, keys to cities and the like — and motioned that my brother’s quarter be placed into this box.

Observing the scene, I decided to do the same with my coin. Once again, the Rebbe asked for it to be placed in the special box.

That 25-cent lesson still reverberates with me today.

We live in a world that can seem cold and heartless. When someone decides to embark on a positive journey, there are often voices that are quick to throw cold water on their efforts: What difference will your tiny action make? Nothing will really change — it’s just a drop in the bucket.

But every drop makes a ripple, and every ripple builds a wave. When I was a child, the Rebbe taught me that when someone shows goodness of spirit, it should be encouraged and cherished. The Rebbe often quoted the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, who wrote that one should always view oneself and the entire world as equally balanced between good and evil. A seemingly small action or word can tip the scales to goodness, especially if it is cultivated and allowed to grow.

The Rebbe showed my brother and me on that day that any good start, however small, deserves to be nurtured. The smallest good deed matters, even in the face of what seems to be overwhelming odds.

Although I wonder what the Rebbe — born in Ukraine 120 years ago — would say about the current state of the world, I know what he taught me to do. I must do good, however much or however little is in my capacity. Even in the face of an overwhelming wave of human misery, we must do what we can.

Because every small, positive action will add up and bring us much closer to a world saturated with goodness.

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