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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Those Who Say “What Will Be Will Be”
“Life’s uncertainties and frustrations, its bewilderments and mystery gives rise to the notion that what will be will be, it is fate.” Doris Day’s 1956 hit song, “Qué Será, Será,” was on Rabbi Olan’s mind …
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Neither good nor evil
“Man in the Hebraic view is born neither good nor evil. He comes into life, rather, with two impulses, one toward the good and the other toward the evil. His life is in his hands and depends upon which of these impulses he chooses to follow.”
-Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “Those Who Say, ‘What Will Be Will Be,'” a sermon broadcast over KRLD and WFAA on February 24, 1963.
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The Book of Lamentations—The Unyielding Believer
“The virgin Israel is fallen, She shall no more rise; She is cast down upon her land, There is none to raise her up.” In this sermon Rabbi Olan discusses the Book of Lamentations, a …
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Out of the depth
“Out of the depth there arises a vision of faith which is unyielding no matter what the threat or danger.”
“This kind of faith under-girded the descendants of Abraham through a long history and found expression in the Warsaw Ghetto when Hitler turned all of his mechanized terror upon a city of helpless victims.”
-Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “The Book of Lamentations – The Unyielding Believer.”
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The Book of Ruth—The True Love
“The Bible reflects the whole of life, speaking in moods cynical and doubting, as well as those of love and faith.” In this sermon, Rabbi Olan discusses the different kinds of love…love between men and …
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The Honest Doubter
“The Book of Job is one of the most majestic pieces of writing in all of literature.” In this sermon, Rabbi Olan walked his listeners through the ancient story told in the Book of Job. …
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A Gentle Cynic
“The gentle cynic of the Bible has no message for the oppressed and the beaten of life as do the Prophets.” In his sermon of January 27, 1963, Rabbi Olan starts from the view of …
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Pity the Poor Parent Today
“Our time is full of experts who write and lecture us on how to be proper and helpful parents. But we are not helped and we do not change because the fault lies at a …
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A family picture
This 1948 photograph of Rabbi Olan with son David and daughter Frances was taken in front of their Worcester, Massachusetts home. Image courtesy of Elizabeth Hirsch.
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How Can We Believe In God In a World Like This?
“It is not easy to believe in God. There are times when it does not seem ‘good to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises to His name.’” In this sermon, Rabbi Olan gets …
