Frum reggae star Matisyahu has revealed that he is no longer involved with the Chabad-Lubavitch orthodox movement claiming “I don’t necessarily identify with it any more”.
In an interview with Miami New Times, Matisyahu revealed his journey from secular Jew to frum. He said: “My initial ties were through the Lubavitch sect… I went to a Hasidic school for two years in Brooklyn. At this point, I don’t necessarily identify with it any more. I’m really religious, but the more I’m learning about other types of Jews, I don’t want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in.”
Despite no longer having an association with Chabad-Lubavitch, Matisyahu is keeping things frum and does so even before a gig. “I try to have 15 minutes of quiet time, and I pray and meditate on God and what being Jewish means to me,” he added.
Chabad is a way of life, not a “membership” “orginisation”!
You see what becoming a pop-star can do to a person,
the trials and obstacles that come along with stardome,
it can bring a person to comprimise his convictions & values.
I pray that he can realise his comprimise.
MZ.
It’s all in the point of view. Chabad is not something that you need a membership card for. Even without an exclusive relationship, Matisyahu will always be more Chabad than most people will ever be.
I’m glad he’s being exposed to other frum groups out there. Chabad has this way of not exposing their followers to other forms of orthodox jewdaism, even other forms of chasidus. I guess they are insecure with their approach.
In Reply to Katman,
As a Chabad Chossid, I can tell you that is completely untrue. Granted, we have our own approach and obviously feel that it’s the best, which explains our focus on it. But we recognize all forms of Orthodox Judaism as legitimate, be it other Chassidic groups, Lithuanians, Nationalist Zionists and whoever is somewhere in between. In fact, there’s a story once by one of the Rebbeim of Chabad (forgive me I can’t remember which one)that he one time was traveling and stopped in Bratslav, home of Breslov Hassidim. He took out “Likkutei Moharan,” from his coat, a book of chassidus by the Breslover Rebbe, and explained how when one travels he takes with him only those books which he uses daily.
BH
how can a person be chabad for “real” and then somehow not be? i never heard of such a thing.
matisyahu was on top charts when he was purely chabad.
Did you see him at Bonnaroo? He was absolutely awesome!
when he started changing his dress code etc.. he lost his spark, sorry….. its too bad.
A person is blinded to his own strengths and weaknesses.
Matis, you NEED a farbrengen! learn another mammar.
Yo brotha, shake off the dust! nu?
Peretz
What do you expect from a guy that spends his entire life in bars and clubs, surrounded by booze and shiksas in skimpy clothes? You really think he would be able to hold out and live a frummie lifestyle forever?
I agree with Mordechai.
So some are pissed and some are understanding…. me, i say SO WHAT let the guy be… he is doing more good in this world then a bunch of bloggers… we should have love for our fellow brothers and sisters at all times… Bloggers i love you peeps 2…
jewda aka lil yid
It’s amazing to me what some people will read in to a very short and simple statement.
“I don’t necessarily identify with it anymore” does not mean the man has rejected chabad,
only that he no longer identifies _himself_ by way of chabad. I understood his comment to mean that he didn’t want to be limited by titles.
Note: his comment did not stop him from contacting the Milwaukee Chabad house when he was in town
so that he could daven with a Chabad minyan this past summer.
Shield of David’s comment is just juvenile. Of course Matisyahu still lives a frum lifestyle! He even has his people
go out into the audience before shows to “tap” guys in yarmulkes to come backstage to make a minyan if the
show starts right before minchah. How does anyone get “no longer frum” from a simple comment like “I don’t identiry” with a certain group.
Doh! I meant soon AFTER minchah.
The almighty loves Matt Miller, the person, more than he could ever love a movement, a persona, a sect, a cult or anything else created by man. There is no right or wrong way to be a Jew and anyone who tells you differently, probably has a trunk full of t-shirts that he’d love to sell you.
I attended the Mayanot Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and had a wonderful experience. I learned a lot, and it was my first real introduction to learning and to yiddishkait. The most important thing I learned there, however, is that the Chabad philosophy is not for me. I know many people whos’ first exposure to Orthodoxy was through Chabad, and while they still have very positive feelings toward the movement, they simply cannot connect on a deeper level with its philosophies. While this is merely an inference from what I have read of his statements and my very breif discussions with Matisyahu on two seperate occassions (I doubt he would even recognize me), I have a feeling that as he grew into Orthodoxy and was exposed to other types and approaches, he found that his connection with Chabad was based mostly on his experience with that movement. It makes me happy to see a pop culture icon who is openly admitting that he is still growing and developing as a person and as a Jew, and I pray that Matisyahu should find his niche in yiddishkait. Instead of criticizing a fellow Jew in a difficult and vulnerable position and profession, we as the world Jewish community should stand behind him and support this important Yid!
I look forward to visiting Mayanot Yeshiva and my friends and teachers there on my upcoming extended stay at Ohr Somayach. I hope I should also have the opportunity to run into Matisyahu again and share brochas!
All the best!
By the way, my location on the globe is such that it is not yet Shabbos, for those of you who may wonder…
Anybody with any sense of seichel will clearly see that the move was made for purely financial reasons. I mean first the guy says Yechi on his Demo Tape, then when the CD comes out he doesn’t…..beause the producers think it’s bad for sales. So well now Chabad is bad for sales….so he just went where the money is…it is very clear. Chabad took him to fame (listen to the first cd (Not the live at stubbs one)) through teaching him Chassidus which he then inserted into his lirycs. Once the sales die down because of something else that something else will go….it’s the inevitability of Selling out!!!!!
I don’t know anything about Matisyahu’s life, but I hear his wonderful and joyful music. As a jew and as an artist, I respect his choices and his bravery. He listen to his feeling and his heart. We have nothing to repproch him. He has the same rights than anybody to make his human quest and I admire his integrity.
you were better lubavitch!!!!!!!
I love Chabadniks, I took Hebrew classes with them and they were great. Maybe Matisyahu was just surrounded by a lot of “Schneerson is Mashiach” hysteria and that turned him off.
I’m telling you it’s the “establishment…”
The Ghetto establishment feels threatened and embarrassed by the dude.
Or maybe it bothers them that someone (and specially a BT) left the CH mediocrity that a few have of waking up at 11AM and davening with in 770 after that…
Most likely it bothers them that someone “made it,” or are they embarrassed by what the “yoleys” say, “oh, keek vus chabad macht… so so feh…” So they told him to “renounce” being chabad to save face.
Feh, to the establishment…
Still matis should keep in mind what the Alter Rebbe said about being in jail for spreading chasiddus. “I could have said that they should go to the BSHT’s grandson, not to me… they would set me free, but I didn’t want to be separated from the BSHT on any level, not even the level of lying to a goy”