Given the choice (theoretically, anyway), is it better to make a huge difference in one person’s life or a small difference in the lives of 100 people? Only Hashem can assess the value of a human endeavor and its due reward or, God forbid, punishment. Amazingly, Chazal tell us it is possible for a person to acquire a share in the World to Come in a single hour. That is surely the most dramatic proof in the Jewish canon that quality trumps quantity.
The news media will continue to throw numbers at us to make us feel informed. The world will continue to worship at the altar of polls and YouTube hits and re-tweets. But let us focus on infusing each day with greater appreciation, kindness, and attentiveness – and other things of value that can’t be counted.