And he dreamt, and behold a ladder was standing towards the earth and its head was striving towards the heavens and angels of Elokim were going up and down on it. And behold Hashem is standing upon it… (Bereishis 28:12-13)

This is the ladder of human potential. It depicts the full range and spectrum of a human being from earth to the heights of heaven. The Rambam spells it out clearly in the 5th Chapter of the Laws of Teshuvah. “Free will is granted to all men. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. Should he desire to turn to the path of evil and be wicked, the choice is his.”

For many years my wife and I would go to the shul of Rabbi Gissinger ztl. in Lakewood to be with some close relatives and friends. I was always called upon to give a women’s Shiur, Shabbos afternoon. One time I received a call in the middle of the week from Rabbi Gissinger himself. He had a request. There was a group of men in the shul making an elaborate Kiddush for completing SHAS, not with the regular Daf Yomi cycle, and he was asking me if I would speak to the congregation before Musaf and after Krias HaTorah. For some foolish reason, maybe because I did not have the courage to decline, I said yes. I immediately began to regret my decision. This is LAKEWOOD. There were many Talmud Scholars in the audience. Who am I to speak at a Siyum on SHAS!? I was overwhelmed by the task and feeling woefully inadequate for many good reasons. “Why do I get myself into these situations!?” became my mantra. Then an idea woke up in my mind.

The Shabbos arrived and this is what I shared. I recalled the famous first encounter between Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish in the Talmud. It was a peculiar circumstance. Reb Yochanan was a beautiful man and a great sage and Reish Lakish was a notorious bandit. Reish Lakish noticed Reb Yochanan bathing in a river and so with incredible athleticism he leaped across the river in a single bound to essentially mug the sage and steal his possessions. Reb Yochanan’s immediate response was not to cry “THEIF” but rather he said aloud to Reish Lakish, “CHEILCHAH L’ORAISA!” “Your power, your prowess is for Torah!”

He saw all of that raw brute masculine strength and decried that it is wasted on cheap crimes when it could be used for Torah. Reish Lakish retorted cleverly, “Your beauty is for a woman!” Reb Yochanon delivered the perfect answer that proved him wrong. He showed him that given the proper motivation he could do it. He said, “If you think I am beautiful, I have a sister who is even more beautiful, and if you learn Torah, I will give you her hand in marriage. Reish Lakish acquiesced and the rest is history. They became lifelong study partners. It’s hard to turn a page in the Talmud without meeting up with Reb Yochanon and Reish Lakish.

Years ago, I went to get a haircut in a local barber shop. I was waiting my turn and looking into a Sefer. In walked a man in his mid-90’s with his grandson, who told him that he will be back soon. It was Rabbi Aronson, who wrote one of the oft-used commentaries on Shekalim. I heard that he had learned in Slobodka. I asked him about the Sefer I was learning, Tanna D’Bei Eliyahu and we started talking. I asked him if it’s true that he learned in Slobodka. He nodded “yes”. I asked him if he saw the Alter from Slobodka and he excitedly told me, “Of course!” The Alter from Slobodka stood up some of the greatest sages and Roshei Yeshivah, many of whom rescued and rebuilt American Jewry, including Reb Hutner, Reb Ruderman, Rabbi Davis, Reb Dovid Leibowitz, Reb Aaron Kotler, and Reb Yaakov Kaminetsky, just to name a few. I asked him if he was there when Reb Yaakov and Reb Aaron were there. He said, “I was there the day they arrived!”

Now here I was telling these Lakewood Chevra that I was talking with someone who was in Slobodka the day Reb Aaron Kotler arrived. We were witnessing the river of history turn. Then I said, “That must have been a big celebration!” He looked at me with astonishment. I explained, “Two great Tzadikim like that showing up!” His response was stunning, “Tzadikim? They were bochurim! Nobody saw anything!” Then he said emphatically, “The Alter, he saw something” What did he see? “CHEILCHAH L’ORAISA!” “Your prowess is for Torah!” And so, they aspired and so they climbed to the very top of that ladder of potential.