If some Jew or other has received a knighthood or a Nobel prize, another Jew, of a more traditional sensibility, might
dismiss such honours as goyishe naches.
This means, roughly, meaningless sources of prestige and satisfaction that non-Jews might enjoy, but Jews should know better than to take any pride in, as opposed to Yiddishe naches, which comes from such sources as helping old ladies across the road, or one’s grandchildren. (But what if one’s grandchild wins a Nobel Prize?)
The phrase comes from goy, the biblical world for nation, as in “two nations are within your womb” (Genesis 25:23); which later came to denote non-Jewish nations in particular, and naches, which means calm, satisfaction or peace of mind. Around the time of Israel Independence Day, some parts of the charedi community lump together flags, governments,
armies and memorials for fallen soldiers as goyishe naches, as if the apparatus of national sovereignty is permanently outside the reach of Jewish values, rather than being a sphere that may be infused with ethical content.
There’s undoubtedly a taint of chauvinism about this expression. However, the disdainful refusal to be impressed by the power and prestige of the nations among which we’ve been a small minority has done much to enable our survival. The flipside of the sense of superiority is a focus on the things that really matter.
To get more from judaism, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.