MATISYAHU, the reggae rapper, posted a picture of himself without his yarmulke. As a result, many of his Jewish religious fans are mourning. This change from the Matisyahu of the famed chasidic regalia to the new Matisyahu began a few months back when he shaved off his beard, altering his signature chasidic image that contributed to his rise to stardom.
Coming from a non-observant background, Matisyahu embraced Chabad Judaism with gusto, going all the way, proudly and unapologetically sporting the trademark chasidic peyos and flowing bushy beard.
Apparently, it seems that his religious zeal has quieted, and his spiritual journey is shifting to a new direction.
Ive seen this happen quite a bit.
Often, when people make radical changes they are personalities who are meandering, searching for something they feel is missing in their life. They are exploring different things, trying on different hats, so to speak. When they find that something, in this case Orthodox Judaism, observance is often initially embraced with the zeal, freshness and excitement that comes with embracing something new. As time passes, the feeling of the familiar increases, with the result that the initial, heady feeling of enthrallment wanes. Or, there is a growing sense of feeling more comfortable in ones skin, Either way, often people balance out over time.
This same behavioral pattern can often be seen in the radical change of leaving Judaism, too at first, going to an extreme, before balancing out. Essentially it is the same personality characteristic, looking for radical change, embracing radical change. These are just photo negatives of each other, with a different direction in each case.
In the case of embracing Orthodox Judaism, it might be a personality in need of more structure and boundaries, so Orthodoxy is fertile ground for ones personality to thrive. In the case of someone leaving Jusaism, it might be a personality that feels choked by structure and seeks less rigidity.
Certainly, it is not always so simple. Many times, there are those true spiritual seekers who embrace Orthodox Judaism because they want to to live closer to G-d through tradition and observance of mitzvot. More often than not, the embrace of observance is a combination of the personal and the spiritual desires.
But I myself have seen, time and again, many who embrace Orthodox Judaism, deeply immersed in it for a while, until they gradually begin reassesing, drifting away, to find the next hat to try on, to see if that feels more like their authentic selves.
All of us, as we go through various life experiences, change, grow and evolve. Our spiritual journeys may wax and wane. For many, at their core, within that waxing and waning is a basic, unmovable committment. For others, life is more of an experimental journey.
MATISYAHU came to be a symbol to many in the Orthodox community. Many of his Orthodox Jewish followers and fans felt a sense of connection to him. It was a brotherhood they were all a part of. There was that sense of tribal destiny and pride.
Now Matisyahu is clearly distancing himself from that bond. I can understand the sense of rejection and betrayal many Orthodox fans are feeling, especially since he does owe his fame, in part, to the shtick of his unapologetic chasidic rock star image. In an industry where every celebrity needs to come up with some new gimmick in order to be noticed and be different, the chasidic garb worked very well for Matisyahu.
I am not saying he was devious or insincere in his using the symbol of chasidic Orthodox Judaism to help his career along. I take it for granted that his journey is an organic one. Nonethless, a part of me can see how, with his new shift in direction, his fans might feel disappointed or hurt.
Many people go through life changing, shifting directions not just under the pressure of the public eye. It cant be easy for Matisyahu. He seems to be one of those musically sensitive, spiritual souls, searching for answers, searching for his true self.
That said, I am sad that he is publicly removing his tangible symbols of Yiddishkeit. It is one thing to shave your beard and remove your peyos, quite another, as a public persona, to remove your kipah completely.
I remember being inspired by a very successful business entrepeneur I knew. He was observant, but not heavily so. However, whenever he was slotted to make a presentation to a big Fortune 500 company, he intentionally wore his kipah, out of Jewish pride. On another occasion, when one of the presentations fell on Tisha BAv, he intentionally began his talk by making the discalimer that he may not be in his most energetic form that day, given that he was fasting. He then proceeded to make a mini-Tisha BAv speech, teaching the meaning and historical purpose of the day, conveying the millennia-long yearning of the Jews. Only then did he continue with his pesentation, business as usual.
It really is none of my business whether someone is or is not observing. Everyones relationship is between himself, or herself, and ?G-d.
For all I know, Matisyahu is just as meticulous in his observance today minus a kipah as he was when he performed in public with a kipah. But that is irrelevant to making a statement as a public persona to dissociating oneself from the Jewish symbol of the kipah.
When all is said and done, though, Matisyahu is a performer, and on a certain level I dont understand the emotional investment many people have in him as a religious personality.
Embracing Orthodox Judaism is a huge change and transformation.
It is a delicate process that should be guided carefully with emphasis on navigating it healthily and gradually, so it can become a lasting spiritual journey, albeit always one with a natural waxing and waning of the human spirit in relationship with the Divine.
Copyright © 2012 by the Intermountain Jewish News
