The mission of this blog is to stimulate interest in the deeply perceptive and still-relevant teachings of Levi A. Olan (1903-1984) by sharing from the Levi A. Olan Sermons and Images at Bridwell Library Digital Collection. The title "Conscience of the City" was applied to Rabbi Olan by a Fortune magazine reporter in 1964. Although Olan's city was Dallas, his thought transcends locality. Our goal is to...
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Digging for Old Treasures
“Wisdom in this hour would dictate the recognition that there are virtues and weaknesses in both positions [conservative and liberal]… The truth is that we need both views for a healthy moral experience.” In order …
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A Time to Speak
“Modern clergymen are paid by the laymen. They are in the almost ridiculous position of taking a salary from people whom they are called upon to judge in God’s name.” December 7, 1969 (Pearl Harbor …
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Love is present
“Love is present when a person cares for another, believes faithfully in another, and feels impelled to give to another without asking anything in return.”
– Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “Marriages Are Made In Heaven,” broadcast November 30, 1969
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Marriages Are Made in Heaven
"There is a romantic notion which says that marriages are made in heaven. Certainly not all of them since some marriages seem to have been arranged in hell. The statistics are not very complimentary to heaven."
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God’s Promises, Promises!
“What shakes religious faith is the disappointment that comes when God fails to keep His promise.” November 23, 1969 What is that promise? It was very important to Rabbi Olan that the “God faith”, as …
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God in a Secular World
“Are we living at the beginning of the end of the God faith?” November 16, 1969 In 1969, the evidence suggested to Rabbi Olan that this might be the case. And he wasn’t just talking …
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Modern Man’s Search for Himself
“There is so much happening in our age which compels us to ask ‘But where in the world am I?’” On November 9, 1969, Rabbi Olan voiced his concerns about the loss of self in …
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Get Yourself a Good Heart
As we read Rabbi Olan’s sermons every week, we notice a question which frequently comes to the fore: What do you think is the good [we should] cherish most? In other words, what is most …
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The Christian-Jewish Encounter
“The history of religion presents a sorry spectacle.” October 26, 1969 In addressing what he called the Christian-Jewish encounter in 1969, Rabbi Olan walked a fine line between righteous indignation and even-handedness. On the one …
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One Way To Deal With Death
“When it comes to the matter of death, none of us are either wise or confident. In a profound sense death appears to make a mockery of life.” Death is a topic that both interests …
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 