It feels quite fortuitous that this sermon of November 28, 1965 made its way onto the blog after a very hotly contested presidential election. The election highlighted an already divided nation grappling with serious issues it has long ignored, yet in the aftermath I have heard many people encouraging us to be “tolerant” of each other’s opinions. While Rabbi Olan certainly endorses this view, noting that “intolerance is characteristic of the liberal as well as the conservative,” he does set down boundaries. There are simply some things that must not ever be tolerated, such as “an evil which injures innocent people,” racial discrimination, poverty, etc. We must hold ourselves to the highest standards, while also tolerating “others who fall from their human greatness,” but there is never justification for men to act like animals.

*Written by Anjelica N. Ruiz.*