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October 25, 2008
Congregational Libraries Today reviews Life in the Present Tense
The cover shows a porch swing, empty, waiting for you and another to sit down and start schmoozing. Based on the essays in this book, the chance to spend time with Rifka Rosenwein is an invitation not to be missed. Reading these reflections is ascomfortable as sitting down for tea and as precious as time spent at the feet of a wise sage.
Rosenwein wrote these columns for The Jewish Week over a period of seven years. They grow from all the common places in our lives: raising children, celebrating holidays, or staying in touch with friends. Some of her concerns are more particular—figuring out how to be a feminist and a Modern Orthodox woman at the same time, announcing to her readers that she has a diagnosis of cancer—but within each column Rosenwein reveals the common, human experience and offers uncommon wisdom.
Sadly, Rosenwein died of the cancer she wrote about in her column. It is, however, a gift to be able to read her reflections on life. I recommend that you read them slowly, as if sipping a fine wine—you won't want to miss a drop.
—Rabbi Louis A. Rieser
(Congregational Libraries Torday, September/October 2008, p.6)
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