Matisyahu - no, he's not completely secular!

Matisyahi gave an interview to Aish.com. So, if you're wondering where he is holding spiritually, read his own words and let's quit speculating! I quoted the first part of the interview, but you can read the rest yourself and no one will need to post threads on how we *think* he's doing.

http://www.aish.com/sp/so/Matisyahu_Exclusive_Interview.html

"Aish.com: You created quite a stir when you tweeted the photo of yourself beardless and released a statement that seemed in part to imply that you no longer need the rules of Judaism to continue growing as a Jew. Can we set the record straight: Are you still a religiously observant Jew?

Matisyahu: I am not really interested in classifying myself as this or that, and where I�m at today may change in the future as well. What I was when I shaved has changed to where I am now and, God willing, will continue to change as I evolve. The truth is, it was always ebbing and flowing from when I began my journey in Judaism and it's just that people react to outward appearance.
I don't really know what the word "religious" means. I believe deeply in God, and if we mean that Torah and Mitzvahs are our guide for the journey, then yes some will call me �religiously observant,� but others will see the external changes I�ve made and say that I am not. Perhaps labels based on these types of externalities are too simplistic, or just convenient. I certainly understand that my position in popular culture lent value to those external elements. My recent changes are part of my own journey, and are not a rejection of the inspiration that gave people.

I am still committed to Judaism, to seeking truth through halacha and observance.
I find a tremendous amount of inspiration and truth within Torah and Judaism, but I had taken on certain minhagim, customs, and stringencies that became habit � either because at one point I had connected to them, or simply because I had been convinced that �religious� Judaism had to look a certain way. Over time some of these external aspects, like the beard, had become deadening and oppressive for me. I had to take a step back.

I am still committed to Judaism, to seeking truth through halacha (Jewish law) and observance, but I needed to reconnect to it in a different manner than I did when I first became "religious." I guess you can say it's been a process of maturing religiously and coming to realize that some of what I took on 10 years ago no longer expresses a part of me. I imagine this is a process many Baal Teshuvas go through. I just get to do it in public.

As Jews we�ve always had the bedrock of Torah, and I�ve grown to see there is a lot of amazing ground within that bedrock. My new record is an expression of this. It is heavily inspired by Judaism. It is filled with inspiration over the last two years of my life from Kabbalah, Chassidut, stories in Yiddish, Hebrew, quotes all over from Tehillim (Psalms), etc. Recently on an online chat, a fan asked me (based on my look, I assume) if I�m still religious, and in that moment I responded that I feel more religious now than I have in months, though many people (based on my recent changes in appearance) will label me less religious.

Aish.com: How did your wife react to the physical transformation? Was it something the two of you had been discussing?

Matisyahu: Ultimately it was my decision to make, and she didn't seem to make a big deal about it.

Aish.com: In an interview you said that the physical change in your appearance was actually the culmination of a series of realizations you had the weeks before. What were you struggling with and what insights did you reach?

Matisyahu: What I meant was, it was not an impulsive decision. It was a result of everything leading up to that moment. There was a moment where I realized for myself that I do not have to be bound to this beard or anything else in life without proper connection, without duty of the heart.

I believe that Torah requires us to grow through learning, questioning, and not becoming complacent, and therefore I owed it to myself to re approach some of these stringencies I had taken on 10 years prior.

I also realized that I am free to make my own decisions about my life, that I can think for myself, that Torah needs to address the individual and the thinking individual needs to address Torah. This may seem like a very basic idea, but I had in a sense become stuck by my view of an ultimate reality for about 10 years of my life, I had lost a sense of flexibility within.

Torah needs to address the individual and the thinking individual needs to address Torah.
I remember the moment when it hit me, I was walking down Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side and it felt like I was literally walking out of a jail cell that I had been in. At that moment I realized I could shave if I wanted. It was up to me and no one else. Now it was just a matter of figuring out if I wanted to or not. I had very mixed feelings about it and went back and forth, so it wasn't so easy. After three days of it consuming my every thought, I realized I was breaking the first two commandments. The beard was becoming an idol.

This does not mean, as some people have seemed to infer, that halacha now has no bearing on my life and choices. But rather I have learned to make certain distinctions for myself where flexibility naturally exists for the Torah-conscious individual. If I choose for that expression to be a beard, etc., that is fine. But feeling bound in it is not a healthy spiritual expression for me at this time."
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Silver Member Joined: May 22 2008 Posts: 965

I'm still non the wiser - a whole interview and no conclusion!
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I enjoy Matisyahu's music. When he was chossid, I thought it was great someone could be a chossid and make it in the mainstream music business. I got nachas when he was on the Kimmell show and when Scott Baio offered him a million dollars to perform on Shabbat (monopoly money, but oh well) he refused.

Then again, my yiddishkeit and emunah do not rise or fall with the fortunes of this interesting man. I always felt uneasy about the burden that was being placed on him. There were so many people living in that beard, no wonder it got heavy for him. He wanted to pursue his music, but suddenly, he became a role model. One FB friend wrote after the shaving "catastrophe." "It isn't just Matis' beard that disappeared. It is all of our beards."

(lol....what people write when they are in pain....)

Some people have the idea that "He is a celebrity so it is his RESPONSIBILITY to take responsibility for the way others who like his music behave." I don't buy that. Because, would any of us be able to handle that? Really, I get annoyed when someone interrogates me about my internet use. That is just one person. How would I feel if millions of people would interrogate me about my facial hair?

Some say he took it on himself to be a role model. No, the guy wanted to make music and live according to his spiritual beliefs. Who takes the responsibility for making him a role model, for watching his every move with pride or fear for the youth? Us. It is our responsibility for putting a burden on someone like this and for putting a burden on ourselves.

I'll just listen to his music, but I won't shave off my beard.
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I enjoy Matisyahu's music. When he was chossid, I thought it was great someone could be a chossid and make it in the mainstream music business. I got nachas when he was on the Kimmell show and when Scott Baio offered him a million dollars to perform on Shabbat (monopoly money, but oh well) he refused.

Then again, my yiddishkeit and emunah do not rise or fall with the fortunes of this interesting man. I always felt uneasy about the burden that was being placed on him. There were so many people living in that beard, no wonder it got heavy for him. He wanted to pursue his music, but suddenly, he became a role model. One FB friend wrote after the shaving "catastrophe." "It isn't just Matis' beard that disappeared. It is all of our beards."

(lol....what people write when they are in pain....)

Some people have the idea that "He is a celebrity so it is his RESPONSIBILITY to take responsibility for the way others who like his music behave." I don't buy that. Because, would any of us be able to handle that? Really, I get annoyed when someone interrogates me about my internet use. That is just one person. How would I feel if millions of people would interrogate me about my facial hair?

Some say he took it on himself to be a role model. No, the guy wanted to make music and live according to his spiritual beliefs. Who takes the responsibility for making him a role model, for watching his every move with pride or fear for the youth? Us. It is our responsibility for putting a burden on someone like this and for putting a burden on ourselves.

I'll just listen to his music, but I won't shave off my beard.

Gold Member Joined: Aug 19 2011 Posts: 2002

here we go again, this guy gets way more publicity than he should.

WHO CARES?
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Silver Member Joined: May 01 2012 Posts: 624

Well, it seems like this is not the end of his observance by any means, and like most of us, I wish him and his wife hatzlacha in his journey, but really...he looked better with a beard.
Maybe he should compromise and do a goatee?