“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. ”
The topic of Rabbi Olan’s February 18, 1962 sermon was prayer. Prayer is central to religion, spirituality, and even civic life here in the United States. But what do we mean by prayer and how do we practice it? Rabbi Olan teaches that prayer is more psychological than theological and that most people understand it incorrectly. If such thoughts surprise or offend you, read on. Let the teacher explain what he means.
“…Prayer is in essence an art, the art of reaching out to what is real. Prayer is poetry which seeks to make real our highest desires in life.”
(Rabbi Olan quotes James Montgomery, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and Psalm 23.)
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 