Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City

“If there is no justice, there can be no peace.” In this sermon, Rabbi Olan wrestles with an intractable problem: he believes that all wars are immoral, but that some wars are also just or …

“Those who know their mission and work earnestly to fulfill it are really alive.” In this sermon, delivered on March 16, 1969, Rabbi Olan, the preacher, turns preaching on its head, and says that it …

“This preacher stands in one of the most beautiful of Sanctuaries in a city where twenty percent of the houses of the poor have been officially condemned as unfit for human habitation. How can any …

“We suffer terribly from Sunday words and Monday actions.”  In this sermon, delivered on February 23, 1969, Rabbi Olan identifies the Ten Commandments as principles “binding at all times and in all places.”  He distinguishes …

“If we prepare ourselves with enduring things like nature, art, friends, and love for people, we will grow old gracefully.” In this sermon, delivered on February 16, 1969, Rabbi Olan meditates on what we need …

“A fearless man [sic] is either a fool or crazy and had better be locked up for his own safety. Let us be grateful that we can still be afraid. It will help us survive.” …

“…No one communion possesses the full understanding of the nature of God.  The differences are beneficial for they enlarge our view and give us a richer comprehension of God.” In this sermon, delivered on January …

“The pattern of life is woven over the loom of time.  Its beauty depends upon the harmonization of the past and the future into a living present.” The theme of this sermon, delivered on January …

“A rabbi is not a prophet. He has had no singular experience with God which entitles him to say: ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ He is only the keeper of the Biblical Prophetic tradition and its …