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Matisyahu’s Beard Making a Comeback?

Algemeiner

At sunrise on Tuesday, December 13, Reggae Star Matisyahu posted a photo of himself clean-shaven, tweeting the following phrase from his 2009 hit album Light:

“At the break of day I look for you at sunrise. When the tide comes in I lose my disguise.”

The photos of the singer looking to “reclaim himself” triggered heavy talkback across the web, with some tabloids naming it the “most talked about beard ever.” Hundreds of articles spawned across the web, most notably in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, MTV and Rolling Stones.

What crept under the spotlight though, was the telling words intimating a return of ‘the beard.’ “Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth,” he wrote. “And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair.”

This time without ceremony, Matisyahu posted his beard again to Twitter. In the photo he is holding his son and smiling, a small but pronounced beard gracing his face.

What the ‘return of the beard’ spells of Matisyahu’s religiosity is yet to be seen, but its regrowth shakes the hopes of a “secular rebirth” as Heeb magazine termed it. Heeb Magazine had already turned to tag Matisyahu with his former secular name “Mathew” and congratulated him on his “momentous decision” to “be done with his Orthodoxy.”

Seems like they jumped the gun a bit, but time will tell.

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18 Comments

  • Good Man

    Sweet guy…. Everybody get off his back, and let his soul find itself….
    He’s a holy Jew… struggles like the rest of us….
    G-d bless him.

  • Let go of him

    i know form personal experience that he is a really nice guy…
    we all have our own struggles and this is one of his… its completely normal.
    how would you like it if people started bashing you just because u gave into one of ur struggles… im sure he is way nicer than any of you haters out there.

  • CRCR

    I wish him the best in his journey, and he should find emes and be at peace so he can do mitzvos.
    I’m just finding it interesting that people have such a critical and angry way of commenting, it is not how shluchim would behave and think

  • Asher Elbaz

    BS’’D
    I am very Chassidishe,
    and I must say, I love Matis and understand what he does and why he does it. He has good motives, and struggles like everyone else. Ok fine the Rebbe held a Shitoh that beards must be there, but MANY DON’T.
    We must respect everyone, we all struggle, veahavta Lereiacho Kamoicha and let him be strong! Strengthen him, love him, and he will continue with his awesome music, to strengthen all of us.

  • FOOL

    Everyone who says “get off his back”, “leave him alone” – he is the one who puts himself out there, right in the public eye!! He wants attention!!

    Let’s not feed his nefesh habahamis – DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO THIS FOOLISHNESS!

  • Michali

    Mattisyahu,

    I am so glad you are back, beard and all! I was afraid you were going off the derech, r’l. Always loved your music. You should go from strength to strength.

  • Stop attacking Matis

    Sometimes I think people are better off never having associated with Lubavitch to begin with. This way, they don’t have a community attacking them when they don’t conform or decide to leave.

    When you attack Matis, The terrorists win! Remember that before you spit talk.

    P.S. it takes neither guts nor brains to attack someone. Reading some of the comments, this becomes obvious.

  • CR

    Forget this tool already! He came to Lubavitch, got whatever he could out of us and then left for “greener pastures”. He is not ANaSh anymore and even if he was his sociopathic behavior would not be winning too many hearts. Certainly his latest attention-seeking should be considered unseemly in our eyes.

    He is not “back” by any means and probably never will be.