An
old Hasidic rabbi asked his pupils how to tell when night ended and the
morning began (which is the time for certain holy prayers).
"Is it when you see an animal in the distance and know whether it's a sheep or a dog?" asked one pupil.
"No," the rabbi answered.
"Is it when you can look at a tree and can tell whether it's a fig tree or a pear tree?" asked another.
"No," the rabbi answered again.
After a few more tries, the pupils asked, "Then tell us, what is it?"
"It is when you can look on the face of any man or woman and know that they are your sister or brother. Until then it is still night."