The following folk tale is told in many societies. It is said that Elie Weisel once told it to President Clinton to explain the possibility of hope after the Holocaust. Toni Morrison told a version of this tale when she accepted her Nobel Prize. This story has been told about Socrates, about a wise old man, a blind old woman, an emperor, and an African baba. In the Middle East, it is told about Mullah Nasruddin. And in the Jewish tradition, it is told about a rabbi.
A great rabbi was known for his ability to answer every question. It was said that he could see into the depths of every soul and was never wrong. Once day, the rabbi came to a town where thousands of people came to hear him. A boy raised his hand to ask a question, hoping to expose the rabbi as a fraud. "Rabbi, I have a bird in my hands," he said, holding a tiny songbird in his clasped hands. "Is it alive or is it dead?" Pleased with himself, the boy thought: "If the rabbi says it's alive, I will close my hands and kill it. If he says it is dead, I will open my hands and let it fly away."
The rabbi was in a predicament. He could see the trick behind the question and was not sure how to answer. But suddenly, he knew just what to say. His eyes filled with tears and he smiled a knowing smile as he gazed at the boy across the crowd. "My precious son," said the rabbi, "you ask me if the bird is alive or dead? The answer is in your hands."
