“Except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain who build it.” In this sermon, delivered on October 15, 1967, Rabbi Olan directly addresses the question, what difference does it make whether or not …
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Life With or Without God
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“Let Us Show Pity”
“Tell me first about the successful man, does he pity and can he cry for those who suffer?” October 8, 1967 This is perhaps the most moving – and at the same time the most …
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Please Stop and Listen
“…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 …
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But What Does God Do Today?
“Most religions… idealize a person who, by his life, shows us the God we cannot see. In this sermon, delivered on April 30, 1967, Rabbi Olan grapples with the question, how do we know that …
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The Importance of Little Things
“What really matters in life is quality not quantity.” This sermon, delivered on April 23, 1967, is one in which Rabbi Olan’s personal voice comes through most clearly. It is noteworthy that his celebration of …
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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 …
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Forgive but Don’t Forget
“It is not ours to forgive, only to lead and help people to begin their penitence.” In this sermon delivered April 2, 1967, Rabbi Olan describes the evolution from forgiveness through ritual in Temple times …
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Teaching Religion in a Secular Age
“Sunday school is more a kind of ritual or ceremony than an education for the answer to the question, ‘What is the meaning of my existence?’” In this sermon of March 26, 1967, Rabbi Olan …
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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 …
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A Troubler of the People
““Religion is not an opiate… It is a stimulant which awakens [us] to real living.” In this sermon of March 12, 1967, Rabbi Olan begins with the question, what do people want from religion? He …
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 