4 Packs a Day

While picking and brining Olives at Kibbutz Gezer with a group of jailed convicts going through a rehabilitation program - the following exchange occurred:

Shalom Yen v'Evan!

Immediately, one climbed into a tree to shake down the olives, a few more lounged eating fruit from a nearby tree, we were all hanging out until our supervisor came over and told us to get our asses into gear.

"Jane, Evan - want a cigarra?" asks the man in Nike sneakers and a little bit of bling.

I respond - לא תודה- No, thanks.
So, uh, how many do you smoke a day anyways?

"Jean,

שנימ בארוכת בוקר. שנימ בארוכת ערב

2 packs for breakfast. 2 for dinner."

It seems that Jen is a difficult name to say in Hebrew.

4 Packs a Day. A balanced meal for an Israeli inmate, I suppose.

***

Yusef sat back and took a deep breath - נשמה עמוקה. Yusef the master olive picker - "He's the best, you know" - said the others.

Yusef, when did you learn to do this?
"When I was young boy - six years."

I had no idea I was among greatness.

After a morning of work, Yusef sat quietly, eyes closed.

We told them about how the weekly Torah portion was Vayishlach - a time when Jacob wrestles with an איש - a man or angel or something - after which he is given a new name - Yisrael. What does it mean to make a name for yourself, we asked them, how can you grow and change and earn a good reputation?

What he was thinking about, I'll never know.

***
Attached is the D'var Torah I delivered this past Friday evening, relative to the conversation we led with the group at Kibbutz Gezer.
What is your name? Jennifer Gubitz D'var Torah November 23, 2007