What can a strong man be proud of? He can be proud to rescue a victim from his oppressor or to rescue Jews or their possessions from the heathens, for it is a great mitzvah to protect Jews and their possessions. All the more so is it a mitzvah to rescue people taken to be killed, for doing so is the equivalent to keeping the entire Torah, since “Whoever sustains the life of a single soul is considered as though he has sustained an entire world.” About this our Sages said: “Even the empty ones among Israel are full of mitzvos like the seeds of a pomegranate,” for there are many Jews who externally appear as empty vessels, yet they have this merit of saving Jewish lives.
Now, it is true that the Holy One does not accept one mitzvah as a “bribe” against another sin, and that He will mete out punishment for all sins that such people have committed and for their lack of Torah study and for every mitzvah they failed to keep, but they very great reward for their efforts and toil that they did with all their might in order to rescue Jews from the hands of the heathens or a victim from his oppressor. How good is their portion and how pleasant their lot!
And if saving physical lives is so great, then how much more so is saving one’s fellow from sinning or enabling one’s fellow to keep mitzvos. The Sages thus said: “One who causes his fellow to sin is worse than killing him,” and if so then one who gives his fellow the benefit of doing a mitzvah is certainly greater than keeping his body alive.
