This is The Writer's Voice, new fiction from The New Yorker. I'm Debra Triesman,

fiction editor at The New Yorker. On this episode of The Writer's Voice, we'll hear

Edgar Carrot read his story, Mitzvah, translated from the Hebrew by Jessica Cohen, from the June

27th, 2022 issue of the magazine. Carrot's books include the memoir The Seven Good Years,

from The Story Collections, suddenly a knock on the door and fly already, which was published

in 2020. Now here's Edgar Carrot.

Mitzvah, you're given a seat on the tattered couch in his brother's living room, waiting

for the molly to kick in. You're given his brother is a dealer. He hates it when people

call him a dealer, says he's just buying for friends, but he's the mother of all dealers.

Looks like a lizard, cold-blooded, takes money from his own little brother, but gives him

a 30% discount, like his generosity personified.

While we wait for the high to kick in, he drones on about how this is pre-mushed, super

pricey, and how we paid top dollar to the Dutchman who sold it to him, and now is using

money on us. Yeah, right, Dutchman. I guarantee he bought the whole stash from some Arab

kid in Jaffa.

When this shit goes through your head, it's straight to the penthouse, he gushes, rocket

launch, no steps.

Let's go, I say to you, Gave. We bought it, we popped it, now it's bitch time. Your

Gave's plan is to get high and go pick up girls on the beach. He did with his brother

once, got lit, and went down to the promenade, and came home with a Norwegian tourist.

Normally, he wouldn't have the balls to talk to a girl like that, especially not in English,

but the Molly made you get feel powerful. You're so beautifully told her. If God appears

...