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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Walls That Divide
“These tense and doom laden days through which we are now passing may justly be symbolized by the walls which have been built.” Thus begins Rabbi Olan’s sermon “Walls That Divide.” It may now be …
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What the City Needs
"We had better look upon our city and ask whether it is what it should be so that it may help to build men and women of quality." Rabbi Olan's radio sermon on March 11, 1962 weighs the qualities of urban progress against the realities of what makes a good community...
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Is Religion Without Ritual Possible?
"Religious ritual comes to the great moments of human experience to lift them up and relate them to a universe of meaning." In exploring his question on March 4, 1962 — is religion without ritual possible? — Rabbi Olan's focus was to understand the very meaning of ritual itself, from the Bible to modern day... how it supports us, why some choose to ignore it, and ultimately the...
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Science is Not Enough
“The sickness of modern man is caused by the imbalance of a strong science and a terribly weak religion, great power but no control.” On February 25, 1962 #RabbiOlan preached on science and religion. Just …
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Can a Modern Man Pray?
“Prayer is neither magic nor miracle. In its basic nature it is a quest, an attempt to cross the bridge from our desires to the great spiritual reality which is embedded in life itself. ” …
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Levi Olan with his sister, Bertha, in 1925
Photograph of Levi Olan with his sister in August of 1925. Bertha Olan (1908-1985) married Jack Cravets. They lived in Rochester, New York, where Bertha served as the librarian at Temple B’rith Kodesh. Image courtesy …
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What is Right, and What is Wrong?
“There have been other ages confused about what is right and what is wrong, but could any of them have been as hopelessly bewildered as we are today?” “Certainly, among nations, we must very soon …
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If a Man Dies, Shall He Live Again?
“It is impossible to escape the thought that [humanity] is equipped for more than just life here on earth. We do not know what that more is and we may never know, but its essence …
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A Skeptic’s Faith
"Faith is not living by what you absolutely know to be true; rather, it is to risk everything on a great adventure into the unknown." While the thrust of Rabbi Olan's sermon on January 28, 1962 was about religious faith, it's interesting to put the timing of his discussion on faith and skepticism into historical context. The day before...
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Is There Really a God?
"Religion is essentially psychological and not theological, which is to say, that such practices as worship and prayer exist whether there is or there is not God." On January 21, 1962, Rabbi Olan didn't shy away from the challenging and fundamental notions about...
