Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City

“It should be said with bluntness that the home will determine whether religion will live or die.” On April 5, 1970, Rabbi Olan preached on a topic that held great importance to him: the crucial …

“All the religious teaching in the world is of no avail unless a man’s action is worthy of imitation by his child.” Rabbi Olan’s theme in this sermon, delivered on March 29, 1970 (and one …

“The important thing about our lives is not how we begin, but how much power we have to stay with it until the end.” April 12, 1970 In this sermon, Rabbi Olan identifies a set …

“The emphasis today is on the common man, not the uncommon.” In March of 1970, Rabbi Olan noted that informality in dress and in other areas of life was replacing long-established norms of respectful social …

‘To stake everything on… moments of faith is to inject into our blood stream zeal, ardor, joy, and hope.’ March 8, 1970 Rabbi Olan begins with the observation that ‘God’ means different things to different …

“The danger to any people is when it confuses itself with God.  America with its affluence, its power, is becoming so arrogant that it has replaced God.  Our fathers asked, ‘What doth the Lord require …

“The whole idea of moral principles is rejected by many people today.” In his February 22, 1970 radio sermon, Rabbi Olan lamented the “moral anarchy” of his day. He proposed that this problem was caused …

“The miracle of all miracles is the will and spirit of [humanity].” Rabbi Olan sets the stage for his sermon on miracles (delivered on February 15, 1970) by recounting the greatest miracle in the history …

“In very early times, men sacrificed the first born of animals and of man to the Gods in order that they may keep all the others. The God Moloch became the deity to whom men …

“The most frightful development today is the increasing insensitivity to the true, the good, and the beautiful.” Perhaps social criticism has never been very popular. However, in my brief 60 years, I don’t recall a …