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We will repair or replace anything that goes wrong with the heating, air conditioning, plumbing or electrical systems in your house or condo for one full year for just $495 per year. Period. SPECIAL COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE! Twice yearly inspections are included at no additional cost to you and include: 1) furnace check-up with replacement or cleaning of filter; 2) air conditioning check-up with freon added if necessary; 3) humidifier and electronic air cleaner check-up; and 4) hot water tank check-up. A Healthy H ome TM means care-free living for you! HAROLD KUSHNER Special to The Jewish News T For complete information, return this coupon or call today! 932-3030 r *Individual quotes will be necessary for homes with more than one furnace, one air conditioner, one hot water tank, or homes over 20 years old. - Quantities limited. One Entertainment Book per customer. Prior orders excluded. Offer expires 2/11/90. JN-1/12/90 ft I I I I Please have a representative contact me for more information with no obligation. Name I Address State City Business phone Zip I I Home phone Mail to: Michigan Home & Condo, Inc. 5829 W. Maple Rd., Suite 121 West Bloomfield, MI 48322-9921 The Finest in Women's Fashions Only At RANDEE'S • • ••st` • f ■ • I f • t . • 0. •• 50 ; _•, Franklin Savings Centre Bldg. 26400 W. 12 Mile Road Southfield, Mich. FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1990 J Body by Joe One To One Personalized Training • Toning • Firming • Bodybuilding • General Fitness • Weight Reduction • In Home Training • Nutritional Consultation Joe Wenson 354-60 0 Trainer 471-1520 o the geologist, moun- tains are evidence of seismic activity, the process of reshaping the earth's surface over the course of millennia. To the tourist or traveler, mountains are sometimes beautiful, sometimes inconvenient features of a landscape. lb the skier, snow-covered moun- tains are an opportunity to enjoy a challenging outdoor activity. But to the religious soul, a mountain is where God and human beings meet. It represents earth reaching up to touch heaven, and heaven bending down toward earth. So the ancient Greeks and other peoples told stories of the gods living atop the tallest mountains, and the Bible describes Moses climb- ing a mountain to receive the Law from God. A few years ago, while my wife and I were vacationing in the Pacific Northwest, we heard the story of the first men who climbed to the top of majestic Mount Rainier. In the late 19th century, two pioneers found their way west and were struck by the beauty of Mount Rainier. They felt challenged to con- quer it, to climb to its peak. They sought to engage an In- dian guide from one of the local tribes, but were told that Harold Kushner is the rabbi of Tetnple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts. He is the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People and When Everything You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough. Copyright © 1989 by Harold S. Kushner. From the book Who Needs God, by Harold Kushner, published by Sum- mit Books. Printed by permission. the Indians considered it sacrilegious to climb the mountain. It was a sacred mountain, they were told, with a lake of fire at its top (there must have been memories of volcanic erup- tions, as with nearby Mount Saint Helens), and they would not violate its sanctity by treading upon it. The climbers offered more and more money, and finally prevailed upon one Indian guide to help them. He sought at first to misdirect them, leading them up hills and down into valleys in the hope of tiring them out. But the two climbers were stub- born men, and kept going. Finally he led them a short way up the slopes of Mount Rainier and said to them, "I am forbidden to go any higher. From here on, you must go on alone." Bravely the men continued up the mountain, determined to reach the top. Finally they did. They planted a flag, took pictures of themselves at the summit, and returned the way they had come. The park ranger who told us that story thought he was paying tribute to the courage and stubborn determination of two brave men. But the message I heard was a very different one. At one level, I had to admire their achieve- ment, but at another, more profound level, I was sad- dened by their violation of a sacred precinct, their claim- ing for man what had pre- viously been reserved for God. One of the things that modern men and women seem to do best is to put out sacred fires, extending the do- main of men and shrinking the domain of God, and I suspect that we are the poorer for it. Once, there was magic and a sense of mystery in our lives. Once (in our childhood