“Every nation and every church or synagogue is better prepared for its growth and strength if it has an on-going healthy debate between those who want to change and those who are guardians of the …
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The Conservative-Liberal Debate
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We Need Not Fail
“Whatever else life is, it is striving, failing, trying again.” Rabbi Olan’s October 7, 1962 (Erev Yom Kippur) message conveyed a three-fold process for getting our lives back on track during the High Holy Days …
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The Fear of Growing Old
“What does one do to prepare against the loneliness and the emptiness which becomes intense as we grow older?” Here Rabbi Olan addresses a profoundly personal problem with uncharacteristic concreteness. More characteristic is his search for answers …
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Morality and Nuclear Testing
"Those who urge continued nuclear testing invite not only the possible death of mankind by radiation, but the possibility of a nuclear explosion by accident, miscalculation, or fear. The choice we must make is not a moral one but a practical and reasonable one." Rabbi Olan's radio sermon on April 15, 1962 includes many debates that continue...
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Ideals Are Real
“Faith, like love or patriotism, comes at a very high price.” In his April 8, 1962 broadcast, Rabbi Olan discussed idealism and realism. Although these worldviews conflict, he suggested that both are necessary. It seemed …
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Communism and the Biblical Tradition
“Communism and the Biblical faith are in conflict over the primary issue of the nature of the universe and man’s role in it.” On Sunday, April 1, 1962, Rabbi Olan discussed the conflicting world views …
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Walls That Divide
“These tense and doom laden days through which we are now passing may justly be symbolized by the walls which have been built.” Thus begins Rabbi Olan’s sermon “Walls That Divide.” It may now be …
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What the City Needs
"We had better look upon our city and ask whether it is what it should be so that it may help to build men and women of quality." Rabbi Olan's radio sermon on March 11, 1962 weighs the qualities of urban progress against the realities of what makes a good community...
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Is Religion Without Ritual Possible?
"Religious ritual comes to the great moments of human experience to lift them up and relate them to a universe of meaning." In exploring his question on March 4, 1962 — is religion without ritual possible? — Rabbi Olan's focus was to understand the very meaning of ritual itself, from the Bible to modern day... how it supports us, why some choose to ignore it, and ultimately the...
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Science is Not Enough
“The sickness of modern man is caused by the imbalance of a strong science and a terribly weak religion, great power but no control.” On February 25, 1962 #RabbiOlan preached on science and religion. Just …
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 