“…we have lost the ability to hear each other, to hear ourselves or to hear God.” Noise, noise, noise! Constant noise is one of the plagues of modern life and was even in Rabbi Olan’s …
-
-
Please Stop and Listen
-
Modern religion talks
-
Fear and Anxiety
“A fearless person is a fool who should be locked up for his own good.” “There is much about us which we ought to fear and about which we had better worry if we want …
-
Life Should Be Beautiful
“We are living in a real wilderness feeling frustrated, sick, and overcome by despair.” 1967 was not a beautiful year for many Americans. The war in Viet Nam was costly and getting costlier. Protests against …
-
Religion, beauty, and goodness
“Religion is at its best when it is prophetic and artistic, when it tells the truth and leads to the experience of beauty and goodness.”
– Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “Life Should Be Beautiful,” broadcast March 19, 1967. -
Who Shall Fight the War?
“We are in the midst of a frightful war of death and destruction. It is time for the dirge, not the joyous dance.” As Rabbi Olan noted in his radio sermon of February 26, 1967, …
-
Too Busy to Remember Our Fathers
“It was once said that history teaches us that history teaches us nothing.” On February 5, 1967 Rabbi Olan spoke in somber tones about a problem facing individuals, families, our nation, and even religious bodies. …
-
The Beast In Each of Us
“If we are to arrive at a valid view of ourselves, we had better recognize that man is not only ‘a little lower than the angels,’ he is, in fact, just a step above the …
-
A test of good and evil
“Is there a test by which we may judge between good and evil? One of the most acceptable standards is very old and yet very enduring. Every action which treats a person as a sacred creature is good. The deed which demeans or abuse[s] a life is evil.”
– Rabbi Levi A. Olan. From “The Beast In Each of Us,” broadcast January 15, 1967. -
The Sin That Punishes
“Before we dismiss the idea of sin as meaningless to our age, we should try to discover its essential character.” In his December 25, 1966 radio sermon, Rabbi Olan spoke about sin and punishment. Both …
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 