A person does not become worthy of reward in the World To Come on the strength of his good deeds alone, yet it is GD's grace, generosity, and goodness. The reason for this is that even if a human being's good deeds were as numerous as the sands of the sea, they still would not be equal to even one of the favors bestowed upon him by the Creator in this world, all the more so if he committed a sin. If the Creator were to hold a man strictly to account in demanding gratitude for these favors, all his good deeds would be neutralized and erased by the smallest of the Creator's favors toward him. pg 439/441
Once, on a Motzoei Shabbos, the chasidim were sitting in the bais medrash of the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a for Melave Malka. Suddenly, the Rebbe opened the door of his room next to the bais medrash, stood at the entrance, and said, “The Baal Shem Tov was not a deity, and the zaida, the Magid, was not just an ordinary wagon driver. And once, when the holy Baal Shem Tov prayed, his talis fringe fell out of his gartel and dragged on the floor. The Magid approached, picked it up, and put it back in the gartel, but he was trembled with such tremendous fear that he fainted and his life was in danger. They were compelled to rouse the Baal Shem Tov from his deep dveikus in order to calm him.” He then added, “I told you that the Baal Shem Tov was not a deity and my zaida, the Magid, was no wagon driver. Still and all, when he touched the Besht’s garment, he fainted from fear. The entire world is Hashem’s garment. How much fear must we feel to touch this world!” May the memory of the...