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On Sunday, a still bearded Matisyahu appeared on the Reality TV Show “Chef Roble and Co” on the Bravo Channel, with his family and a few dozen friends - many from the Crown Heights Community. The show's host, Chef Roble, was trying to prepare a Kosher meal for the Hassidic reggae-rapper and his guests before he went away for several months on tour this past summer. The name of the episode was “Babysitter in the Kitchen,” which referred to the mashgiach from OK Kosher certification agency.

Video: Matisyahu Drinks Too Much Wine

On Sunday, a still bearded Matisyahu appeared on the Reality TV Show “Chef Roble and Co” on the Bravo Channel, with his family and a few dozen friends – many from the Crown Heights Community. The show’s host, Chef Roble, was trying to prepare a Kosher meal for the Hassidic reggae-rapper and his guests before he went away for several months on tour this past summer. The name of the episode was “Babysitter in the Kitchen,” which referred to the mashgiach from OK Kosher certification agency.

Jason Miller writes for the JTA:

The famous chef (I guess he’s famous because he has his own cooking show, but I had never heard of him) not only had to prepare strictly kosher meals for Matisyahu and his guests — but the menu also had to be Thai and Vegan. Oh, and he had to please Matisyahu’s mother-in-law and wife, Tahlia Miller (who doesn’t appear to be as strictly Vegan as her husband).

It is unusual for such intricacies of hashgacha (kosher supervision) to be publicized on television in such detail. The OK Kosher mashgiach explained that only he could light the stoves, but once the pilot light was lit the chef could adjust the flame. However, the mashgiach never provided a reason for this (it’s because of bishul akum — the prohibition on having a non-Jew cook food for Jews). They also showed the mashgiach painstakingly checking each mint leaf for bugs. There were definitely some uncomfortable events that occurred as the catering crew prepared for the sit-down plated dinner. When they opened the boxes with the kosher plates, they found that each one was either chipped or dirty (Chef Roble claimed he found human hair, exclaiming “There was DNA on those plates.”). Nice!

The chef and his team (including sub-contracted servers who had to be dressed modestly) pulled off the dinner for Matisyahu and his guests. Everyone seemed pleased with the Vegan Thai food that was prepared with the babysitter mashgiach in the kitchen. Everyone that is except for Matisyahu’s wife who claimed there wasn’t enough sauce.

The meal ended with a food/wine fight, Matisyahu throwing a glass of water into his mother-in-law’s face, and the event planner being hoisted in a chair.

Bottom line: The food might have been good, but I don’t think Matisyahu, his family, or mashgichim (kosher supervisors) were very well represented in this reality TV episode. I think he would have been better off turning down Bravo’s offer to film this event and instead just dipped into his own pocket to pay the famous chef to cater the event.

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41 Comments

  • dont judge

    Chillul Hashem.
    But dont be too quick to judge…
    Its vary possible that the producers of the show edited out the good arts…

  • oh my

    I am honestly embarrassed for Matis’ family and the Crown Heights community as a whole. OY VEY

  • Viewer

    This clip doesnt show the whole story.. The rest of the show was actually Pretty nice, u can get it off itunes

  • Concerned

    This is ridiculous. What a joke! Do these people know there’s a camera filming? I’ve drunk alcohol before, and I’ve never thrown wine in people’s faces.

    You can clearly see the disturbed look in the women’s eyes as it progresses.

    Whatever. Good bye Crown Heights.

  • not normal...

    …then he kissed his mother in law so everything was ok??
    even if bits were edited this is disgraceful

  • yossi

    what has happened to us lubavitch is unbearable .this is disgusting and look at those other lubavitchers there what a shame.we are going lower and lower .

  • narbiter

    disgusting. i mean the woman chair thing was way out of line. the rest was not soooo bad. baal tashchis and chilul hashem for the food fight, yidden should eat like menchen and realise their food is kedusha from hashem, and on camera?

    television is not for yidden.

    please remove the video its untznius.

  • there-s only one judge

    al todin es chavercho ad shetagia limkomo
    im not taking sides but these words are from our rabbis of old

  • Think outside the box

    That’s his mother, not his mother-in-law. To the Crown Heights audience this is perceived as a chillul hashem. To the non-frum or non-jewish audience this is really funny television, very entertaining, and makes frum jews/kashrus/chabad much more real for them. If you make a boring show about a stuffy masgiach nobody will watch it. Add a food fight and some jokes and all of a sudden people are learning about kashrus and not hating it!!!

  • the truth

    you have to watch the whole show. Naftali Marrus was the only part of the show that was a kiddush hashem, thank you Rabbi Marrus for setting a good example. Rabbi Marrus was not there for the “party” but as a very honost and hard working mashgiach.

  • Leah

    Ok let me make something clear matisyahu is IN this not frum world that is the world…… WE as chassidim should NOT be watching this

  • REALIST

    Let’s face it there is Nothing Chasidic about him he dose not represent Chabad
    Nor anything Chasidic and I am sorry who cares if the good parts where edited out the fact is people ONLY SEE THE EDITED VERSION and yes that was a great Chilul Hashem WE WILL NOT LET THIS POSER ATEMPT TO GIVE OF THE IMPRECION THAT HE REPRESENTS THE GREATER CHASIDIC COMMUNITTY
    AND BY THE WAY THOSE THAT TOOK PART IN THE WINE THROWING AREJUST AS MUCH TO BLAIM FOR THE CHILUL HASHEM

  • dam avodov

    It all begins with being vegan: not accepting that there is a hierarchy on this planet. So if man is not above animal, who says that a mashpia can be above Matis and tell him what to do?!

  • CR

    To all those postulating “what would the Rebbe say” about those who criticize M I posit the following.

    When Shlomo Carlebach began performing publicly to mixed crowds in less than stellar environments the Rebbe told him to either end his schtick or get out of Lubavitch (this was in the late 1950s). I cannot imagine that the Rebbe’s message to M today would be any different. In fact, I suspect it would have been even more sharply worded!

    Just say “NO!” to this fraud!

  • TO number 28

    Personally, I think you should be quiet-yes, this video is showing bad behavior.. this whole thing with matiysahu is justg making ANYONE ELSE involved ;look bad.. so be quiet please… thank you.. i know naftoli marrus very well, he is a major kiddush hashema nd very chasidish…

  • kosher here kosher there

    Rabbi Marruss and the ok did a wonderful job making sure that the food was at the highest level of kashrus (like they probably always do) they cannot be held responsible for what some crazy people do at the party, I think its wonderful that a high level party (even if they act like animals) can be done main stream and very kosher as well. It’s a kidush Hashem and a great leap for kosher. People see kosher here than there , in the white house. and so on, Kosher has becoming more main stream them ever. ok and Rabbi Marrus keep up the good work

  • Sara

    What an embarrassing episode! This is NOT how ‘good’ people behave- even among the non’Jews. This is absolutely unacceptable! Who throws things in peoples faces??Boors!!!!I feel SOO bad for Mrs.Miller and her beautiful children who are being dragged threw the mud by him. We never know what we’re getting into when we marry………….an unstable person………..

  • NNN

    One time I was drinking with non-Jews and got drunk and someone the next day told me I was kissing non-Jewish woman. I felt like my beard does not belong in my face. In any case, I found some way to spiritually recover without changes in my image, but I can still relate. However, I just want to say to Matis: what you did does not need judgement but what you did with turning this into a publicity is absolutely horrible and insulting.

  • just sayin

    big chilul hashem, just some more proof this guy is not a chossid and never was one, he’s not even frum, not even menchlich. feel bad for the wife and children.
    all the rest of the parasites that are hanging around him hoping to get some sliver of free stuff get away as soon as you can or else yoy will be dragged down into the gutter where this guy resides.

  • The Mashgiach Rocked!

    I’m proud of Naftali Marrus for making a kiddush Hashem! He was a true Chosid with Yiras Shomayim and didn’t hide it one bit.

    I am disappointed at the behavior of Matisyahu and his guests. Frankly, I am kind of glad he shaved his beard and is less visibly representing frum Jews… it’s embarrassing to associate with him at this point. Who on earth throws water in their mother in laws face?!?! I’ve never seen a goy do that … let alone a “frum” Jew!

    Matisyahu should live and be well and Hashem should help him with his issues. Everyone struggles with their Yiddishkeit but we don’t all use our ego’s or the public forum to exploit our struggles. I think he shaved his beard to spite his face!!!

  • Nebach

    Before I had seen this clip (or even heard that he was on this show), a non-Jewish co-worker of mine told me that she saw the show “with the Jewish rapper”, & asked me about the whole throwing thing. I told her that I had no idea what “wine throwing thing” she was talking about but that it’s definitely not a Jewish thing and “maybe they were all too drunk”…
    Point is that many non-Jewish people that see this (and don’t ask a Jew to clarify for them) will now think that crazy Jewish people throw wine at each other. Huge Chillul Hashem…
    We see that he was on the way down. Maybe this was a call for help to all those at the meal with him…

  • Dvir Yaakov

    Wow! So many of you should be ashamed of yourselves. What would the Chofetz Chaim say to all of you pointing fingers and gossiping on this blog about a good man who inspired many of our youth to take a look at yiddishkeit?! Matis and I are not the only ones needing to do teshuvah!

    SHAME ON YOU! Read your own comments when you wonder why the 3rd Beit Hamikdash has yet to be revealed! We are supposed to be the solution not part of the problem.

    Thank G-d when I became a baal teshuvah 7 years ago I was not exposed to such loshon hara by supposedly observant Torah Jews. I might have jumped the derech before ever seeing its beauty.

    Deeply Disappointed! What would The Rebbe say about such comments?!

    If you think Matis is so far gone use this page to give him help. Don’t tear him down so you can feel better about yourselves!

    HOW DARE YOU!

  • lighten up

    oh wow, everyone is so harsh! who cares! it looked like they had fun. You all seem so ready to judge other people – grow up.

  • Francine

    It’s obvious that they were just having fun and joking around. The wine splashing wasn’t meant to come across rude, it was just family and friends having some fun together and if just got a bit out of hand…