Matisyahu has a couple pictures of him in his Vanilla Ice hair looking slick sans peyos and yarmulke (kippah). I really hope he stays frum, not because I think it’s right for him, but because I really don’t want to deal with all the frummies saying “I told you so” when it comes to people being frum and famous at the same time. Without Matis, who do we have? Shmuely Boteach? Frum famous people are hard to come by and although I fully agreed with thbe beard shave, it’s hard to justify removing the kippah and peyos…well kippah is just a minhag and we cannot really tell if the peyos are gone…but we can judge the F outa him for him.
Now of course everyone is probably going to have a cow, but I’ll say it again, being frum is not for everyone. A lot of people become frum because they felt they were missing something and it could be possible that frumkeit didn’t provide it for Matisyahu. I think he inspired a lot of Jews to become frum and will continue to inspire people, I hope he even inspires people who shouldn’t be frum to leave the path, rather than suffer being religious when it makes their lives miserable.
I have no idea if he’s frum or not, I know plenty of folks who don’t wear a kippah, but when you are famous – making such a statement is quite huge (in the Jewish world). Shaving a beard, big deal, cutting off your peyos and being seen without a yarmulke is a pretty big deal.
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Yeah, those are some pretty rounded corners.
It would have been nice if he stayed frum…I agree. But whatever works for him.
Found it strange though that his youngest son who was only born a few months before he started shaving off stuff was named after the Lubavitcher rebbe. IDK. Btw, bet his kids are so confused. 😉
Now that I think about it, he should get his hair back to his original color and grow some more. Not for any religious reasons. But because he looks like a child who cut his own hair.
You mean stays frum. Not stayed. These are old pics.
Maybe their new, but they have an old 80s/90s look to me.
that looks like Whiz Kalifa dude – these are new pics that have been instagram’d. He’s also sporting the new “Nazi Youth” hipster hairdo – its actually called that.
See what living in Brooklyn does to you? If the molesters don’t get you, the hipsters do.
At least the hipsters have beards. And don’t dye their hair platinum blond.
“At least the hipsters have beards. And don’t dye their hair platinum blond.”
what planet are you from?!
Hipsters don’t dye their hair blond and they ALL have beards. I’d like to visit your planet where that is remotely true.
Thanks for repeating exactly what I said?
go back to watching ‘Girls’ for all your hipster info.
You don’t make much sense.
Thanks for repeating exactly what I said?
go back to watching ‘Girls’ for all your hipster info.
You don’t make much sense.
Kinda looks like Zach from Saved by the Bell.
I don’t wear a kippa most of the time in public, yet I observe Shabbos, Kashrus, and everything else. So he doesn’t wear it when he parties with Wiz Khalifa. Big deal!
He’s so confused he doesn’t even know how to go off the derech properly. What’s with the late 80s-early 90s badly died hair?
For Matisyahu, his beard was part of his image. To have a chassidic celebrity was great publicity for us. He would not have become famous if he was clean shaven and without a kippa. I wish him the best of luck in his spiritual journey, but I would like to see the old Matisyahu back, with a beard, and singing reggae.
Sammy, I know you feel nostalgic, but life is long nowadays and remaining the same –especially in a community where standing out is frowned upon– can be detrimental to one’s health… both spiritual and physical. Give him his space and his art… I’m sure as he ages he’ll come back (and by then, he might be so rich he’ll give tzedakah to some Jewish organizations!)
His music wasnt reggae but maybe it lived in an apartment next to reggae for a while and had dinner with it sometimes.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah it looks like Matisyahu’s orgasim with chabad is OVER.
He hasn’t been into Chabad in years…
He is also playing concerts this summer during the Three Weeks. Maybe he has a “professional” heter to do this.
He actually did it last year too.
You also don’t need a heter either. Its his profession so he can do jurors his livlihood. I am a professional musician as well and I have to play during sefiras haomer. You’re allowed to.
Also on Tisha B’av…
Waiting for the other shoe to drop. These kinds of drastic physical changes are common in someone just before they come out.
Oh please…..
lol
I think I’ll quote Bob Marley here and say, “Judge not”.
And I think I’ll quote Pirkey Avot and say:
?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??????.” ~ ??? ?’, ???? ?’, ??? ????”
Do not judge your fellow until you have been in his situation. (Pirkey Avot: chapter 2 – Hillel the Elder)
I don’t care if he’s frum or not but he does look better with dark hair and the beard.
Agreed.
Yeah he looks like Vanilla Ice. Fact is this. If you are over 25 and a guy, and still dye your hair any color than it’s natural one, somethings off.
this is just sad…
Matisyahu cutting off the entire peyos is the ultimate eff you to the rabbiners. He’s probably already had a cheeseburger, and is going to experiment with homosexuality soon – don’t be surprised if his next twitter post is a pic of him headed north on the hershey highway.
M is daman!
Ice ice baby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A7tLVIsuNw
Jim Carrey’s impression of Vanilla Ice.
White White Baby!
Shouldn’t he now be just “Matt”?
Chazal teach that the Israelites in Mitzrayim never changed their names, and that is why they deserved to be redeemed…
His legal name is Matthew Paul Miller. He became “Matisyahu” when he became religious. Now, IF he’s not religious, why should he go by his Tshuva name?
Exactly my point. He is still orthodox, albeit perhaps subconsciously. On a related note, I was just at a Bar Mitzvah party where they played a song or two of his. (some of his older music)
Sorry if this is a stupid question but why shouldn’t all Jews be frum? I thought that it was a requirement.
Heshy wasn’t speaking for halacha — he was making an existential assertion. An observation of the actual, not an evaluation based on the ideal.
I hope you will post this link. To me, this eloquent commentary says it all.
http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/06/05/matisyahus-public-transformation-what-the-world-doesnt-understand/#comment-497066
I like Jewish music and I like some reggae but I never liked his music.
I found his prancing I mean dancing amusing – he was a caricature (like the dancing Judge Itos on Leno) .
I am confused, now Madonna is more frum than Matisyahu?
He can still wear a Kufi (see link for picture) or a tasseled ski hat (second link) which are very popular among rappers and hipsters.
http://www.gospelreggae.com/browse/items/detail/78da4bb600000100009c/Black+Knit+Reggae+Cap+with+Red,+Yellow+and+Green.html
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PhrUZFRyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
I say to each his or HER Madgesty’s own… but being associated with LENO is definitely a curse…. look what he did to Letterman, Conan, etc…
Can I just say that I think he looks hot?
I have always and will always hate beards.
And he was always a sham, any one with two bits of brain knew that. Who cares.
He was the first famous Chigger with no competition so he stood out. Now hes just a third rate Jigger.
Its pretty sad to see his yetzer hara take over, but its inevitable when u become famous, especially in our generation. He definitely has an image and now that he took that away, i dont know if he’ll be as famous or respected anymore.
Now, saying that being frum isnt for everyone is not true. The chosen people were chosen to do this for a reason, theres no “not for me”. the only thing thats “not for you” is the way you were taught or the path that you chose (ie. chabad, other chassidus, chareidi, dati leumi, etc.) you need to be clear on which path you want in those terms, but not “if i should keep shabbat or not” thats not an option, and if you choose not to, then unfortunately you’re just not doing what you were brought down here to do. and if you want to talk about ‘freedom” then you’ve got it all wrong. Being “freed” from the secular world is the true freedom and no one sees that for obvious reasons. If being religious was easy, then theres no point to it. There are challenges in every area and the point is always to get closer to Hashem, its really for your own benefit. If you choose to not take the gift that you were given, then you’ll leave this world with not much at all. Im not saying to be frum and not happy ..obviously thats crazy. i’m saying that everyone has to go through challenges to achieve anything in this world…and if youre not happy, its not being frum thats making you unhappy, its that you need to find what works for u in the frum world. I’m sorry, but theres no excuse to “not wear a kippa”. We were made to stand out..thats the whole point..its hard to see that in the secular world…
he changed his mind about being chabad, which shows he wasnt stable in his yiddishkeit to begin with and thats why all this happened…being famous led him, unfortunately. away from being frum..not that he wasnt happy being frum to begin with…and that he finally found what he was “supposed to be doing”…no..the truth is is that he’s being tested and right now, he’s failing but soon he’ll get back up and do it again…if he’s strong enough, which he is just because he’s jewish and we all have the strength to get back up and when he does, he’ll be stronger than he was before
Well said
I disagree that it’s inevitable that your yetzer ha ra will take over when you become famous. And I have two words that prove that: Mayim Bialik. If you don’t know her you should Google her. She is far more famous than Matisyahu, and it looks like she is far frummer at this point too.
Come on, with his vanilla ice, and now with his “I believe in love” and exploring himself, I think he will come out soon enough…
How about the innicence and contrast of this kid – who actually sang with the group shalsheles and had the guts to go on national television with his kippa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOkSBbNhhI
His recent post about his “look” is disturbing because it sounds like he’s gotten these new-agey American ideas in his head that physical appearance doesn’t matter, and we are all ultimately one so why bother with religious differences, etc. I think he should understand that the way for a Jew to achieve understanding of this underlying oneness and truth is not by abandoning the mitzvos, and all the physicality that entails, but *through* the process of growing in Torah and mitzvot. R’ Dovid Sears’ book on Rebbe Nachman and the Mystical Experience illustrates this well. I hope Matisyahu is not becoming hoodwinked by new-Agey American non-judgmental spiritual-but-not-religious-ism (“moralistic therapeutic deism.”)
Look at the haircut. Their some sort of lose colour ha. I think non secular Jews rarely lean their very own wats in which shut. I do not feel he has stopping Judaism the slightest bit.
how do you know that this guy is for sure matisyahu?
Athough its called reggae not megay however you are right he is not wearing a yarmulka because he wants to be a woman.
Dr. Dick
Mattisyahu was / is an idol of mine. Although I didnt like it when he shaven his beard off – I have had to follow and do the same. I dont know him personally to know how he feels about his yiddishkeit, but if he feels like I do, I doubt he is as frum now as he was before. Despite the situation/s & feeling that let up to it, you suddenly feel free and exhilarated to see the ‘new’ you, and leads you to all kinds of “what can I do now” feelings. I also feel like dyeing my hair too, but I hope I dont lose all religiosity I have.
If my idol chooses to drop the beard, jarmica, and religion then I have no choice but to follow in suit. I miss bacon cheeserburgers anyway and suffering to not eat them is not the way I choose to get into heaven. I am sure there are many other ways. Religion luckily is multiple choice.
So sad – he goes to extremes – he needs to get centered to the middle path – consistant – not jumping around – so much talent – but I am afraid he is headed on a collision course with himself – and it ain’t gonna be pretty. Needs to get back to Jerusalem and spend some time with Yom Tov Glazer!
And to think that him going MO was supposed to stabilize him.
Good Point, Simon. You are so right about what can happen with extremes…
🙂
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