Matisyahu's Beard Goes Missing, Jewish World in a Panic

The Jewish world is in spasms over Matisyahu's facial hair.

Even before I awoke in Los Angeles, text messages were lining up like Hanukkah cards from the East Coast asking, "Is it true?" The blogs are on fire with questions like "Did he stop being religious?" "Is this a publicity stunt?" and much more. As my witty blogging friend Esther Kustanowitz put it, this was "the beard heard round the world."

Never before in the history of our ancient people has one man's beard cause so much panic. In fact, I am not sure in the entire history of beards, if one beard has created so much commotion.

In our world obsessed with looks and stardom, his decision to go beardless now warrants news alerts.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency alert on Monday was "Gingrich sticks by Palestinian comment, draws GOP rebukes."

Yesterday the alert is about our beloved singer's decision to shave off his signature bristles, "Matisyahu Shaves off Beard."

Tens of thousands of people have looked at the photos on Twitter, thousands are commenting on his website and Facebook. Even national gossip media sites are chiming in with their own opinions. But all one needs to do is look at what he himself wrote on his blog:

No more Chassidic reggae superstar. Sorry folks, all you get is me ... no alias ... And for those concerned with my naked face, don't worry ... you haven't seen the last of my facial hair.

It seems that his own words were not enough. Everyone has an opinion. Rushing to judgement is a national pastime.

There is no obligation in Judaism to wear a beard. It's not a mitzvah. Facial hair is meant to be an adornment for the face, say the rabbis. The Torah instructs us about how to cut the beard -- no razors allowed, leave the upper part of the sideburns -- but doesn't require a man to have a beard. While some associate taking off the beard with a lapse in religious observance, that is simply not the case.

Historically, Jews have gone without beards before. Over the ages, Jewish men have used depilatory creams and powders made from nasty stuff that took off the beard. At the most famous yeshiva in pre-war Europe, most men studied bare-faced. The invention of the electric shaver created the opportunity for even more observant Jewish men to go beardless without killing their faces.

I remember when I started growing my beard 16 years ago, much to the surprise of my fiance. It had everything to do with my displeasure at shaving, and nothing to do with a fashion of religious statement. My skin is super sensitive, and no matter what kind of electric shaver, creams, treatments I used, my skin could not bear it. With my marital future in place, I took the risk and grew one leading up to my wedding. My grandmother, of blessed memory, was distraught that all the wedding pictures would have me in a beard.

A beard does not make a man. I am sure some famous bard centuries ago wrote something along those lines. Matisyahu's talent as a singer and performer have little to do with what clothes he wears and what kind of facial hair he prefers. While it might have been his signature look for a part of his career, it isn't any longer. Let's not rush to judgement and let him speak -- and sing -- for himself.

 

Follow Rabbi Yonah Bookstein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RabbiYonah

Comments

[ThinkTov]

05:29 AM on 01/02/2012

You do what you want regardless of what others might say. You show that you are in motion. That is good because if we are not in motion, we are dead. You have however, removed something (your beard) that’s purpose is to keep you in Awareness and in Divine consciousness. Someone in your line of work needs as many of those reminders as possible. Every Jew has the ability to withstand the “Field”. The field is the place where G-d is not apparent, “Esau was a man of the field”. We get this ability from Joseph our forefather who survived as a religious Jew in Egypt for 22 years by living the torah that his father Jacob taught him. You are named after someone who survived an epoch when the majority of Jews fell to the hedonism of the ancient Greek culture. Not only did Matisyahu survive but he turned the whole situation around and merited the story of Hanukah, the holiday that signifies great light entering the world.
In your occupation one can easily fall prey to the temptations of ancient Egypt and the hedonism of the ancient Greeks. I pray for you that you survive and succeed in the forward process of spiritual self-development and overcome those hurdles like your namesake Matisyahu Cohen Gadol and like Jacob in Haran and like Joseph in Egypt. May G-d be with you.
Webmaster of Jewish meditation

[empress trudy]

06:29 PM on 12/15/2011

Mathew Miller's break with Lubavitch is several years old and old news. This is the coda to that journey.

[illuniatiK]

12:41 PM on 12/15/2011

Rabbi, it's not necessarily the shaving that shocks so many people. It's the words he used in connection with the act and regarding the beard. "Disguise," "alias," and even, in a radio interview, "ludicrous." His statements, written and spoken, are confusing the matter more and more. If it was a disguise, an alias, does that imply that everything that came before was fake? Has he been faking it all this time? I don't think so. He always seemed so sincere in word, music, and deed. His evolution has been inspiring and fascinating to millions. But how he's speaking about the beard and rules and trusting in himself, his divine mission, these are vague statements that can be signs of bravery and strength to stay on the derech, or they can be sentiments of self-aggrandizement. He's a public figure. No one can imagine the pressure he's under.

I wish him hotzlocha on his journey. I hope he and his family are healthy and remain on the path of righteousness. I also hope he can be more clear, as his words have a mighty impact on a significant segment of Jewish youth and of course non-Jews alike.

[OzzieR]

06:28 PM on 12/14/2011

Rabbi Yonah, agree with your central point and love your style, but you waaayyy oversimpli­fied the matter. There are of course trusted sources that allow Jewish men to remove their beards using various parapherna­lia. An "orthodox" Jewish man can be very devout even without a beard. Yet there is no doubt that a beard has tremendous significan­ce within Judaism. Specifical­ly within Kabbalah and Chasidism - both of which Mati claimed to follow. Beardless "orthodox"­, yes. Beardless "Chasid" uh, no. Bottom line, going from bearded to beardless does in fact constitute a "lapse in religious observance­". That's just simply the case.

It might also be a good idea to reconsider the blanket statement that "There is no obligation in Judaism to wear a beard". Many sources do in fact obligate Jewish men to wear beards. According to the AriZal men should not even TRIM the beard let alone shave it completely­. There are more recent scholars including The Ragachover Gaon, Debretzine­r Rav, Rav Aaron Kotler, Minchas Elazar, Chazon Ish and others that clearly prohibit shaving or removing the beard under any circumstan­ce.

It's true that a beard doesn't make a man and it's true that we should refrain from the national pastime of judging others. But it's no less true that we should not trivialize the significan­ce of a beard within Judaism.

Helpful links:
http://www­.koshersha­ver.info/p­df/Rogatch­over-Gaon-­Halachic-R­uling.pdf
http://www­.koshersha­ver.info/p­df/debretz­iner.pdf
http://www­.koshersha­ver.info/p­df/Daas-To­rah-of-Cha­zon-Ish.pd­f

[dontaddtotorah]

01:35 PM on 12/14/2011

actually the commandment is as translated into English as, "not to round the corners" and "not to bring a blade to the face". It wouldn't say that if a full beard was a requirement. It would just say, "you must have a beard" and be a positive commandment. But, it doesn't say that... it says, "not to round the corners". Matisyahu shaving his beard does not violate halacha if he does it the way orthodox law allows for (which is not to bring a blade to the face) and not to round the corners, leaving hair at the sides. One should not add to Torah and claim a full beard is a requirement when it is not. That is a violation of halacha and violates the commandment of "not adding to Torah".

[Joe Pattern]

12:20 PM on 12/14/2011

I am in total agreement with you that the beard does not make the man. It wasn't the missing beard that was shocking. It was the ambiguous string of words that clearly suggested he was not the man we thought he was any more and the music is all that matters. Denial is a natural response.

[ChaimMc]

11:48 AM on 12/14/2011

Full facial hair definitely and without question is an obligation on all Jewish men and has been since the Giving of the Law at Sinai more than 3,300 years ago.

It's only been the predilection of the so-called reformers in Europe and then America beginning 200 years ago that first trimming and then actual shaving of the beard, partially or fully, became prevalent among Jewish men enamored with the style of the Gentiles.

It is known that just prior to the fulfillment of the world that disingenuous men who will stand up and present themselves as rabbis, all the while distorted truth and promoting themselves.

This man knows nothing of what he speaks.

[Rabbi Yonah]

12:53 PM on 12/14/2011

Please note the source that says that it is a mitzvah, i.e. an obligation in the Shuchan Aruch, the authoritative guide to Jewish life.

[yaakovtheyid]

12:54 PM on 12/14/2011

Perhaps Matsiyahu takes the advice of beardless moshpiam, but does he have to publicize it like this. Its one thing to shave your beard and quite another to rub it in our faces. Just because he moved to LA doesnt mean he has to snub all those that helped him in his journey toward Hashem. I for one have a broken heart. Thanks Matisyahu, I think I will burn all of your CDs now. I cant listen to them without thinking about how selfish and thoughtless this stunt was.