The Term 'GOY' Explained

I've seen this word come up a lot, whether it be on TikTok live or X or whatever like that,

is the word goi. Now, I've never used this word in a derogatory way. I've really never actually

used the word much. So what's your take on this word and why now is it such a popular word?

Okay. As always, let's do the worst one and then let's bring it back.

Goi can be used as a derogatory term if somebody wants to say that that person isn't a Jew.

It is shorthand in the worst of times for that and only that.

But what is it actually and what is its dominant usage? It means nation. That's it.

So Israel is referred to as Goi Ha Kodesh. So holy nation. Kodesh, Kodesh, Kodesh,

Kodesh, like holy, that's where that comes from. It's very, very simple, straightforward word.

It just means nation. And as it evolved over time, it turned into essentially non-Jewish nations,

non-Jewish people, a just shorthand to say that. And if you think that's bad, every single culture

has a word for that. Like even Kamehchi isn't that word. Kamehchi is actually a derogatory word that

just says like the other people. I think Kamehchi is actually barbarian, if I remember correctly.

And then it was other people who referred to the Kamehchi's while using this slur. And then it was

kind of thrust upon them in the annals of American history. But really short, goi is

nothing. It's just means nation. That's it. And there's nothing beyond that from what I said,

some people have used in the past as a derogatory term. I don't, because if I want to use a derogatory

term, I'll come up with something much more precise than something that means just everybody else.

But yeah, that's all Goi is. Goi means nation in Hebrew.

Yeah. And then people always ask that, or at least they write in the comments, am I a good

goi? And I don't really know what that means or what they're sort of referring to. Maybe it's

referring to the fact that they think the Jews run the world. So if they're a good goi, then they're

going to get like good stuff from the Jews that run the world. I'm now connecting a lot of

different things here. But that's really the only sort of conception I have of that question.

Otherwise, I don't really get it. Or maybe they're just trying to be mean or rude or

throw something in the chat or what I don't know, but you're taken. The main one now that you

said that out loud is Shabbat's goi. Am I your Shabbat's goi? It's actually other people.

We're trying to use the term that they don't have any idea what it means because again,

they don't know Hebrew. They can't read Hebrew. They're not steeped in any of the tradition

of Jewish people. But they say Shabbat's goi. So those who have to help Jews during Shabbat's

because we have a bunch of prohibitions. You can't turn on the lights. You can't cook. You can't

ride elevators. If you want to do anything, you have to do this weird kind of like intent at people

in order to help you forever on the road during around the road as Shomer Shabbat's right. We all

know the Big Lebowski. Don't roll on Shabbat's. So if you have your Shomer Shabbat's Jews and they're

on the road for a weekend, they show up probably like noon on Shabbat. They'll check in to their hotel.

But if there isn't an elevator that constantly goes up and down and you have these and almost

all of the elevators in Israel because they know that they have actual, they have religious

Jews who are going to be in the hotels. They'll be an elevator that stops at every floor so that

you don't have to. But if you're with a Shabbat or sorry, if you're with a Shomer Shabbat's

and observing Jew on Shabbat and it's not one of those elevators and you get into the elevator with

them, they'll like him. It'd be great to somebody could come up to the fourth floor and push that

button, but you can't ask the person directly. Again, by the way, that brings it back to the Talmud.

Where does all of that stuff come from? That comes from the Talmud in a bunch of rabbis arguing

over the proper way to still be a good Jew during Shabbat when you have to get stuff done,

because you're not allowed to work on Shabbat. So how do you get around some of those? Well,

you figure out a way to do it and that way is by hinting sometimes on things like elevators.

But the Shabbat's going, it's like, oh, you want me to do all of this stuff for you? It's like,

no, it'd be nice if you could out of the goodness of your own heart. But if you're using Shabbat's

gory as a derogatory term, well, that's you using Shabbat's gory as a derogatory term. That's not

me using it. And it's weird when people co-opt words and then use them as slurs when we're not the

ones who use them as slurs. And I think that's really where the gory issue comes from. It's being

used as a slur, but it's not being used as a slur by 95% of Jews. Patreon is the home of our

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