From the COLlive inbox:
I’m writing to you hoping that many will read this.
I’m not a writer, but seeing how many people were affected by Matisyahu shaving his beard, I thought I should share my thoughts.
I was brought up in a frum, lubavitch family. Did school, seminary. Although I didn’t “rebel” (I used this word because people like to use it but I don’t think its the right word) I did go through my own path of trying to make sense of what being frum, lubavitch means.
B”H I was lucky to be surrounded by the right people and did find my way. One of the people that did help me is Matisyahu. Shocked?!? Well when he came out with his songs, I connected, like many others, to his words. He was speaking our thoughts, our challenges we face, feelings we feel and it made me so proud that you can be frum and still normal out there in the world. But now that I’m a little older and stronger in what I believe, I see things differently. It’s not a coincidence that this episode happened now just a few days before Chanuka.
Recently, I heard Rabbi Manis Friedman giving a talk on education. (I’m not quoting him, it’s what I understood) He was talking about children starting to “rebel” and an educator’s response. He gave an example of a girl who’s starting to dress not tsnius, her parent or teacher might comment on why she’s dressed like that. What they don’t realize is the messages they just gave her; “Your outside is all that matters.”
Matisyahu shaving his beard is like the youth “rebelling”. Don’t do the mistake so many have done, it’s just an outside thing. Instead of being upset about his action and what bad effect it had, why don’t you think about what may be going on. I don’t know Matisyahu or what’s going on with him, but I know his songs and now when I listen to them I realize that it’s his confusion, his struggles and challenges and not mine. And it doesn’t make me upset, but sad because it reminds me of myself a few years earlier. But I believe that he will find the truth. I’m not worried because I found it.
It’s right before Chanuka, where Matisyahu and his five sons fought to keep Yiddishkeit alive. Help him and all the other *confused youth by not judging and accepting them for who they are. Help them fight their personal challenges by letting them know that there is more to them then just their beard or dress.
I hope this will help you!
Happy Chanuka!
Sarah
*Being a youth is in the head, you can be 35 and still a confused youth! So don’t judge even if they’re older and married.
VIAHAVTA LEREACHA KAMOCHA ZE KLAL GADOL BATORAH!!!!!! LIVE IT!!!!
Your claim to fame was your Beard, it’s your Logo,
“The Rabbi Rapper”
Your Uniqueness amongst Rappers and Singers!
Come back and show the world your are Special!!!
One of a kind Am Ehad Yoshev Bodad.
Be proud of your Logo!
@52, “He can do what he wants. It’s not up to you to “judge” whether or not he has the “right” to do that.”
What kind of narishkeit is that? Granted, it’s not the biggest aveira but the whole mind frame of “He can do what he wants. It’s not up to you to “judge” is just symptomatic of how far-gone a lot of us are.
I agree with 27 in a way and 38 in a way
WELL SAID!!
Youve always been a light Sarah 😉 Even wgen I knew you as a teen and you were working your way thru things… ( we are all supposed to be Ovdim) Even then you were and are a light 🙂
Beautiful article… Im in agreement 🙂
<3 Neomi
mattisyahu of the chanuka story 🙁
well written kol hacovod
He can do what he wants. It’s not up to you to “judge” whether or not he has the “right” to do that. And I also don’t understand why people go mad about someone shaving. I mean, how petty can it get? Come on, its his choice in the end…
what does that have to do with anything?
hes a very confused soul! but stil you shoudnt judge him!
It what he said about it! Not to mention that it seemed like he was implying that all men who wear beards are putting on a disguise or pretending to be someone they are not.
yes? well think about it for a moment- ever bought an orange that was already peeled? how about an apple with blue skin? a sushi roll that was covered in mud? whaddya mean? the inside is good, it’s just the outside that seems off-don’t judge a book by it’s cover……. while it’s true that chassidus demands pnimiyus,it’s the inside that counts, and that matters a whole lot, but that internal goodness has to be reflected on the outside!!!!! beard? shaitel? tzitzis? these are the hallmarks of the appearance of a chossid, and if those external factors are lacking-what does that… Read more »
scince when does shaveing your beared mean your a bad person? yes its surpriseing and sudden but does that make him bad? what aboute all other sects of jews? do we call a litvish man “bad”? no! or someone who is not as religious? NO!
No o ne can understand what he is dealing with therefore it is not our place to judge. what he did is his business, and his struggle and nothing more than that. We have no right to publicize and judge his actions and all we can do is pray for him that he gets back on track.
A letter from the Rebbe to my friend’s husband who decided to grow a beard when he was a bochur in Telshe Yeshiva and people in the yeshiva there were discouraging him. Sholom u’Brocho: Your letter of Rosh Chodesh Teves reached me with some delay. In it you write that you stopped shaving, with the intention to grow a beard. I trust you have seen the Sefer Hadras Ponim Zoken, whose author is a talmid of the Mirer Yeshivah, which was published recently, with Haskomos by prominent Rabbonim, on the great significance and the must and importance of growing a… Read more »
SOME OF YOU WRITE THAT THE MAIN THING IS WHAT YOU ARE INSIDE AND IT’S NOT IMPORTANT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE OUTWARDLY. I JUST WANT TO STRESS THAT DRESS, IN A CERTAIN WAY, THERE ARE HALOCHOS AND MINHAGIM JUST LIKE IN KASHRUS AND SHABBOS ETC. OF COURSE THERE ARE VERY NICE PEOPLE WHO DON’T DRESS TZNIUSDIG AND DON’T KEEP SHABBOS AND KASHRUS ETC. THERE ARE MANY NON JEWS ALSO WHO ARE VERY NICE PEOPLE! SO?! WE ARE YIDDEN AND WE HAVE A TORAH AND A DIRECTION IN LIFE, AND TO SAY THAT EVERY ONE CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT AND… Read more »
I agree with your article that he is rebelling but he is not a teenager with no responsibility or kids or followers or fans. I appreciate your focus on positivity but please understand taht a person like Matiyahu has the responsibility to behave. A person like him cannot just wake up one day and decide that they want to rebel. that luxury is reserved for teenagers only who have no responsibilities yet and they truly only affect themselves. A person such has Matisyahu who has a family with kids and lots of fans who look up to him DOES NOT… Read more »
why assume how his wife and children feel…
he thinks hes the goen of the centry that he dosnt care about the mercy of hashem he thinks hashem dosnt care if we have a beard or not!!! why do you think hashem gave us the abblaty to grow them
and dont go blame frum issues on it
I hope he is 150% happy with whatever mitzvot he does.
Benveniste,Tsfat
maybe sarah is right in a way, but i think matis did something TOTALLY WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really appreciate your perspective. I think that the only way for a Jew to trust them self, is if its in context with Hashem and Torah. Sure, everyone has their own journey, and i can not judge anyone else. I just know for my self, that when i take actions that are consistent with what God wants, i.e. doing good for others and myself, it will only bring blessing in my life.
Almost as important as if Charlie Buttons were to remove a dozen buttons from his hat.
I agree with 31 and 30 trusting myself without G-d in the picture is worthless. Trusting myself with G-d is powerful! In every situation I have my will and G-ds willl and I need to align my will with G-ds. If my will becomes G-ds will and I am not in line with torah and mitzvos I am playing G-d. And thats sad. I can truly trust myself and connect with myself when my will is in line with G-ds because I am I Jew and the Torah is my blueprint of what works for me. ANd thats how to… Read more »
Courageous of this Lubavtchch webb site to publish
supportive column. remember joy matisyahu brought into
peoples llives and connection to the chassidic world….he needs to sort out his feelings…..nothing can prevent him from grwing back the beard………………………………………………………………….
Its not my place to judge but we as jewish pple and lubavitchers do hold a responsibility to G-d to represent Him in this world….Yes we all have our doubts questions nisyonos in yiddishkeit and yes I do understand his reasoning why….he explained how he wanted to prove Himself that He merits G-ds mercy even if he doesn’t have a beard…Yes thats true too. However there is an aspect of kabolos ol. That we do torah and mitzvos without reasoning. That I believe is the message I learn from this. Yes there are times I may not feel like dressing… Read more »
it is an aveira to mingle with goyim! he mingled with goyim but he got caught in with them as we learn in nuvi in morah feldman of bais rivkah’s class, if the jews run after hevel he will no doubtly fall into hevel! that is the emptyness of goyim! matisyahu assimilated with the goyim and addapted there way of music we musnt fall! fellow crown heighters stay strong and firm in our roots of yidishkeit! we musnt addapt to the ways of goyim. and your levushim and the way you make yourself on the outside, even if not right… Read more »
#1,for good the outer may be a fake, but for bad why would he wan to look bad if he’s really good? so this must reflect on his inner #2, cutting the beard isn’t so much the problem, but what he wrote on twitter and what he said yesterday in the interview when speaking about what it says in kabalah that the beard represents the 13 attributes of mercy “g-d’s mercy, how can that possibly be connected to shaving my beard or not”…”i just need to trust myself” in other words who cares what torah/kabalh/chasidus says i have my own… Read more »
It is so hard to be a baal teshuva in general, and a mixed up baal teshuva is not too much fun either, and then to have everything you do being publicized and having your ego all blown out of proportion, just imagine!! Its gotta be really confusing for ole’ Matisyahu and his fam!!!!
i agree with #23
SORRY LADY, WHAT A LOAD OF COBBLERS!!
ITS ONE THING CUTTING OFF YOUR BEARD BUT TO DO SO B’FARHESIAH, WITH SUCH BRAZEN ARROGANCE, PROCLAIMING IT ON A WEB SITE IS UNFORGIVABLE. THIS GUY NEEDS A CHECK UP FROM THE NECK UP ASAP!!
sara fishman yaasher koach hope every takes a lesson from u!
Sometimes you have to correct someone from the outside. You can’t let a girl walk outside with pants but think that maybe her inside is really well. Sorry, sweetie, not going to work!
Secondly, you are sort of right because people should judge people based on what they look like. I’d hate if i was having challenges b’ruchnius, (B”H I dont…) and people were judging me.
Thank you,
Sarah Fishman
i dont knw why everyones going crazy he shaved. if u guys all realize shweky shaves. ohad shaves. yosef chaim shweky shaves. and on and on and on. so why is everyone going crazy that he shaves????? so many other singers shave, all the sudden he shaves and the world is going crazy. i really dont get this
LOL hhahahhahaha way to funny
If he did this as a private man and would make no tumult about it, nu! But this guy is going public by saying that what the Ariza”l and our Rebe’s stated as fact Matisyahu says is “ludicrous”, he’s beyond the pale and he qualifies as a Choite uMachti es Harabim I feel terrible of many Neshamos that will follow his path. I’m unaware of a jew who cut his beard in order to grow in yidishkeit, and i’m unaware of a good jew who published silly pictures of himself transgressing publicly the teachings of the Arizal for the purpose… Read more »
Matisyahu isn’t the only one to cut off his beard! Look around!Tthere are many young men trimming or cutting off their beards.
The fault does not lie in them but in the atmosphere that they are in.Perhaps the mashpi’im and rabbonim should try harder in being a positive infulence within the general community.
The Rebbe was always very clear on his views on cutting or trimming beards.
This story is so yesterday!
I haven’t seen many comments “judging” Mattisyahu. The fact that he shaved his beard doesn’t negate the good that he has done. But neither does the good that he done make the beard shaving ok. It is wrong — a biblical prohibition. Nevetheless, we cannot appreciate the struggle of fame and fortune that he faces every day, and we hope he finds his way back soon.
you gave the answer yourself- you never cared about him, s you dot care that he cut his beard either. others that did care about him- either liked him and were touched by him, or those who didnt like him ,now care about this change. RELAX
plus, hes a celeb, everyone talks about celerities, welcome to america
If you dont feel concern, don’t post anything.
Am i the only one who is wondering why in the world all this talk about a guy who shaved his beard? who cares? when did he become such an important person to begin with? his music never came in to my home with or with out his beard. he is a regau singer like all the others and his music should never have been invited into our homes. all this dissapointment is ridiculous.
No one is owning him or disowning him.. Everyones just confused by his random action. He didnt start trimming slowly…. it was just..one morning he shaved the whole thing off.. Someones going thru a mid life crisis.But then again, Hes a man of drastic changes…. After all becoming frum is a very drastic change too
He may be a good person, but a confused soul. I would not listen to his music, I don’t want my neshama connected to his.
well said
Non of us knows the real reson he did what he did All that we get out of the whole stry is just gussip! the man decided to tweet his photo and I’m sure for a good reson One day it will be more clear but for now all it is, is a story about a celeb (yes he is considered a “celeb”) in the jewish world cutting the beard is not a punishable sin and although it was some kind of a statement it is not the end ofthe frum road for Matis gve him some space, let him… Read more »
matityahow rele or you chabad or litvak
I agree with this article. True and to the core. don’t judge an outside appearance! Very nice this has been brought to attention and yes, quite hashgocha protis too this IS a few days before Chanukah. thank you.
Chop em down, chop em down….
THIS IS WHAT IT”S ALL ABOUT!!!
Your attitude it completely on target!
This is an article COLLIVE should be PROUD to publish!
This is chassidus and this is yud tes kislev!
not nice to make fun of him..
CHAVA LIGHT IS A ROCK STAR! SHE IS AWESOME, THE BEST DESIGNER, AND MOST SKILLED TALENTED DEEPEST PERSON EVER!!!! GO CHAVA
Her article is the bare truth!!
she yotzim min halev nichnasim el halev.
thank you for sharing
Finally I’m not being confused for Matisyahu on the street:)