When is the Dawn?

There is an old Hasidic story about a rabbi and his students. As they walked along the road one day, he asked, “How can we know the hour of dawn - the time at which the night ends and the day begins?” No one ventured an immediate answer, so they continued to walk. Then one of the rabbi’s disciples asked: “Is it when you can look from some distance and distinguish between a wolf and a sheep?” “No,” said the rabbi. And they continued to walk. “Is it when there is light enough to distinguish between a grapevine and a thorn bush?” ventured another student. “No,” said the rabbi. There was a long silence. “Please tell us the answer to your question,” said one. “How is it possible to know the precise time at which the dawn has broken?” “The dawn comes for each of us,” said the wise old teacher, “when we can look into the face of another human being and - by virtue of the light that comes from within us - recognize that even a stranger is our brother or sister. Until then, it is night. Until then, the night is still with us.”