The Moment of Dawn

This day when the world over people are celebrating the birth of the messenger of peace and love, I thought I would share a gem of a story I found among the other priceless gems that make up ‘Like a Flowing River’ by Paulo Coelho.

The Moment of Dawn

During the World Economic Forum at Davos, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace, Shimon Peres, told the following story.

A Rabbi gathered together his students and asked them:

“How do we know the exact moment when night ends and day begins?”

When it’s light enough to tell a sheep form a dog,” said one boy.

Another student said: “No, when it’s light enough to tell an olive tree from a fig tree.”

“No, that’s not a good definition either.”

“Well, what’s the right answer?” asked the boys.

And the Rabbi said:

“When a stranger approaches, and we think he is our brother, and all conflicts disappear, that is the moment when night ends and day begins.”