Texting with Angels
Modern Jewish Tales of Magic and Mystery
by Andrew Ramer
Afterword by Mychal Copeland
Imprint: Resource Publications
Within the pages of this book, you'll meet an urban demon, a witch in the suburbs, a Jewish vampire, a magic dog, and a golem named Judith. You'll find out what happened to Marx, Freud, and Einstein after they died, read lost Jewish texts, learn about the messiah and her unfolding mission, and spend time with a goofy angel and a kvetchy one--the two of them (perhaps) a couple, but neither of them the transmitters of these tales.
Andrew Ramer is the author of four other books of Jewish stories--Queering the Text, Torah Told Different, Deathless, and Fragments of the Brooklyn Talmud, all available from Wipf and Stock. He's a co-author of the international best seller Ask Your Angels and author of Angel Answers. An ordained maggid (sacred storyteller) he lives in Oakland, California, up the street from an amusement park called Fairyland.
“In the Kabbalah, a maggid is a heavenly mentor or ‘preacher’ who conveys wisdom to a spiritual seeker. Andrew Ramer is a modern maggid, blending new and ancient elements, challenging and rejuvenating tradition. In these captivating tales, his imagination yields deep insight, chutzpah, and surprise.”
—Daniel Matt, author of Becoming Elijah
“How lucky we are! From the pen of Andrew Ramer, here comes another brilliant and delightful gift! In these imaginative, witty, whimsical, sometimes fantastical, often magical, and at times quite funny stories, Ramer embeds challenges to Jewish patriarchal tradition. Texting with Angels offers us stories of contemporary lives alongside alternative versions and visions of midrash and Jewish folklore. Read this sparkling book—you’ll have great fun and, as a bonus, you’ll uncover some surprising gems of wisdom.”
—Marcia Falk, author of The Days Between
“New stories from an old soul! Maggid Andrew Ramer clearly has his fingers on the pulse of our zeitgeist, resulting in this delightful collection of tales, ancient as they are modern and as timely as they are timeless. What’s more, he has wrapped each one in his trademark humor, offering a healthy dose of wisdom and laughter and—Oy!—do we need both right now! To quote the angels: OMG, LOL!”
—Joel ben Izzy, author of The Beggar King
“In this new virtual reality, how delightful to get comfy with book of wonderful stories rooted in timeless mystical tales where angels talk about the trials and tribulations of unexpected heroines and queer folk who confront uninvited souls seeping into human existence through strange vessels, like sewing machines and computers. Maggid Andrew Ramer’s stories channel the full imaginative wealth of Jewish storytelling into the present.”
—Lynn Gottlieb, author of She Who Dwells Within
“In Texting with Angels, Andrew Ramer has once again woven together a collection of stories rooted in ancient Jewish tradition that sparkle with magic and contemporary relevance. Ramer is a master storyteller, and these vivid tales evoke universal human themes like love, loss, and the search for safety and genuine connection with cheekiness. I read them in one sitting.”
—Elliot Kukla, contributor, New York Times Opinion
“Each of these magical stories has layers like a bite of delicious baklava. Baking together fragments of traditional Jewish texts, history, and cultural themes, Andrew Ramer offers us sweetly mystical and freshly relevant tales of heroic humans, angels that hover like hummingbirds, demons that twist their victim’s lives, a lonely Jewish vampire, and a Messiah who waits for us to redeem our lives and save our world.”
—Deborah J. Brin, Rabbi Emerita, Nahalat Shalom
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