Matisyahu Video | Imamother

Crayon210

Thu, Jan 19 2006, 10:49 pm

In his defense, he is a ba'al teshuva and might not have the knowledge that others do. The fact that someone who under most circumstances would be full of himself asked a rav and then strictly followed what he said is commendable. I'm not saying he's a tzaddik, that's none of my business. But I don't know how you are so sure that he's such drek!

ShiraMiri

Thu, Jan 19 2006, 10:52 pm

Ygrazi wrote:

wow what a Tzadik! he stopped! So lets go eat pork then ask the rabbi if its kosher.......

Sorry - I had to laugh at that one.

However, let's remember that we ARE talking about a Jew here. It is loshon hora to speak of him that way. If you don't like the music or don't agree with the concept of sharing jewish music with non jews it's one thing. Whether or not he is behaving as a jew should is between him and Hashem and him and his Rebbe.

merpk

Thu, Feb 16 2006, 2:10 pm

Ummm ... I don't think he's making his music to connect with "non jews" or to attract them or to do anything of the sort.

He's making the music because he's been given a gift and he has to make the music. If his rav were to tell him to stop recording it, he would. But it's coming down, and he has not much choice but to let it out. And what's inside him trying to get out is some very holy stuff. b'H.

The fact that he's recording it, it's interesting to note that his career as a musician didn't take off until he became frum. So ... to correct someone's comment earlier in the thread ... it sure sounds like HaShem is smiling to me.

And while I'm at it, why is it that people think what all these frum-acceptable-for-FFB-kids musicians are doing (MBD, et al.) is so "Jewish"? Where do you get this idea? They usually remind me of Tom Jones (singer/TV star from the '60s), just without the hip gyrations. Really, they do the same thing with their faces, etc. ... and their music is of the same type, just with "holy words." Big whoop. Why is that more "Jewish" than Matisyahu's music?

amother

Thu, Feb 16 2006, 2:59 pm

just for the record, matisyahu is married and his wife is a frum jewish woman and may very well be a member of this forum. loshon horah like this should be avoided altogether, especially in this situation, if she is on this site, hearing these kinds of things can possibly cause sholom bayis issues. let's please all refrain.

amother

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 8:18 am

Quote:

Chillul Hashem. You dont bring yourself to non jewish ways to attract ppl. I dont think Hashem wants us jumping up and down and corwdsurfing into crowds w\ men and ladies in all these colleges. I dont think Hashem wants us singing non jewish Reggae music or whatever it is. WE as JEws are supposed to show everybody else how we are
NOT like the non jews. Not by making a bizayon on national TV. When you turn on JEwsh music its is NOT supposed to sound like radio music its NOT supposed to sound like we're in Jamaica somwhere, and its definately NOT supposed to sound like we're in some kind of club. Not for anything if its such a Kiddush Hashem what in the world is he doing on TV???? DO you think Rav Moshe Feinstein Z"L would even THINK of going on a TV show??? Put it this way do you think all the big Rabbis would sit and listen to this junk? ITs disgusting and should be put in cherem. A Jew has special trais that we ae supposed to bring out in other ppl not by babbling some garbage song on TV. big whoop so he added in we want Moshiach now. That makes it ok??????? I think not.

I really couldnt agree more! Thumbs Up

merpk

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 9:19 am

Not getting why posts on a thread like this have to be "amother" anonymous.

Just wondering.

And also wondering why no one is answering my question as to why Englebert Humperdink and Tom Jones' rip-offs (also known as MBD, Avraham Fried, and the rest) are considered "Jewish" music and Matisyahu's music is not.

Am guessing y'all don't like Chaim Dovid too much, either. He doesn't do the Englebert Humperdink thing either, and sounds kind of psychedelic, so he must not be kosher.

Nebekh.

tzipp

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 9:29 am

[quote="merpk"]Ummm ... I don't think he's making his music to connect with "non jews" or to attract them or to do anything of the sort.

He's making the music because he's been given a gift and he has to make the music. If his rav were to tell him to stop recording it, he would. But it's coming down, and he has not much choice but to let it out. And what's inside him trying to get out is some very holy stuff. b'H.

The fact that he's recording it, it's interesting to note that his career as a musician didn't take off until he became frum. So ... to correct someone's comment earlier in the thread ... it sure sounds like HaShem is smiling to me.

Beautiful post! I really agree. You don't need to listen to it if you don't want to. I don't think it is really aimed at a specific crowd as much as it is what he does well- and I think it is just amazing that one person can have such power to effect people and get a message out that way. I think that should be an inspiration to others to use their abilities (in many areas) more.

didan

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 10:10 am

B"H

I've never actually seen Matisyahu perform. We are on Shlichus and a few weeks ago a 20 year old guy from here went to a Matisyahu concert in another city and loved it. After the concert he went to the local Chabad House and had dinner with Matisyahu, and they exchanged email addresses.

Last week Matisyahu emailed him and asked him if he'd like to study Tanya with him over the phone. This fellow called my husband to ask him if he can get an English Tanya for him, and they're studying together.

So while I know there's much controversy surrounding Matisyahu and his music, he is definitely using it as an outreach tool.

merpk

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 10:56 am

"using it as an outreach tool" ... oy.

How about maybe he's connecting to people who share musical tastes? Making friends, what about that?

Am also bummed when connecting to people is "a tool" or "outreach." Can't you folks ever just be normal and talk to people and learn with them and hang out, without it being business? If I'm connecting with nonfrum friends and manage through our conversations/friendship to bring them closer to HKB'H, is that "outreach"? Or is it connecting and bringing people closer to HKB'H?

I am so turned off by that. But anyway.

Totally tangentially, my rebbe used to call it "inreach," BTW.

beanmaidel

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 11:37 am

Well as a frum person who is very involved in Kiruv Rachokim both in my private life and at school.. I know for a fact that because a number of college students heard Matisyahu's songs they became interested in their Jewish heritage and joined the Hillel on campus and are going are now working on learning more about Judaism.. (Matisyahu ROCKS!)

Another thing I wanted to say was that nothing made me laugh more than when I was at a VERY chassidishe friend's house last week. She was ranting how horrible musicians like Matisyahu, Moshav Band, Chaim Dovid are, and how they will be the down fall of our youth.. Incidentally in the background was a nice lovely CD playing by a nice chassidishe group... it was a pity that the music that they were singing to is from a TRANCE song that was played in dance clubs all over.. The next song was no better.

merpk, dont forget about the Jewish Boy bands that are popping up all over .. For some odd reason they remind me of non jewish boy bands...

shayna82

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 12:02 pm

Ygrazi wrote:

oh, and why do we need to attract non jews exaclty??? It is NOT our job to attract the goyims attention, and we do NOt want them converting so why in the world would we want to attract attention to ourselves? what ever happened to TZNIUS???????Where is the ANAVA here???

hes not trying to attract non jews, hes trying to attract the many jews that ARE in those crowds. you obviously are in that camp, and lubavitchers are in another.

Milk Munch

Sun, Mar 05 2006, 12:41 pm

I'd just like to add the point that as Jews we are supposed to be a "light unto the nations" = the non jews.

There are non jews listening and enjoying his music that is all talking about Hashem.
In a music industry that is TOTALY pervaded by TOTAL SHTUS you have no idea how amazing that is.

And (I dont' remember who brough tthis up) to the question "would R' Feinstein go on TV?" NO he would not. Matisyahu does not follow R' Feinstien derech or he wouldn't go on TV. BUT, there are many Lubavitch rabbeim who DO go on TV and are very succesful doing so.
Obviously to many people , this is not your derech so you cannot relate. That is fine as long as you follow what your rabbeim say. But he CHABAD and he is following his CHABAD rebbeim and try as you may, there has been NO negative outcome from anything he has done.
Facts are facts!

seniormom

Mon, Mar 06 2006, 10:35 am

The first time Matisyahu was on TV (it was one of those latenite talk shows, it was very novel and my reaction was that he was making a kiddush Hashem, but after I saw him another one or two times, he seemed less restrained and I began thinking that it really wasn't so tznius. I was careful, though not to say anything negative to anyone, especially my own children, lest they think I was just an old fashioned fuddy-duddy! It happened that my children (who do not watch TV and don't go to "concerts" much) never got to see him, although they did read about him. Much to my surprise, when my daughter was in Seminary and Matisyahu was to perrform in that city, the girls were banned from going on the grounds that it was not tzniusdik. Boy, do I feel vindicated Exclamation

In all fairness, though, the concept of what Matisyahu does may never be acceptable to all, but at least he's clean-cut/sober/talented.......

Quote:

dont forget about the Jewish Boy bands that are popping up all over

why is OK to let our children see/listen to these boy bands when most of them are just drugged up/high on something, unkempt, unfocussed kids who are supposedly "expressing" themselves. Is it because they aren't so successful or so public that we can turn away and pretend they're not "so bad" (or perhaps because some of them are the sons of prominent community member, so no one wants to make a fuss!)

My point is: Is Matisyahu taking the rap (no pun intended) simply because he is publicly successful? It seems to me that those boy bands are a much worse influence. (Of course, that doesn't make Matisyahu's performance more tzniusdik.) Maybe we should reserve our collective energy for discussing/eliminating the more serious problems.

Milk Munch

Mon, Mar 06 2006, 8:50 pm

Quote:

dont forget about the Jewish Boy bands that are popping up all over

why is OK to let our children see/listen to these boy bands when most of them are just drugged up/high on something, unkempt, unfocussed kids who are supposedly "expressing" themselves

I must be "out of it"...what bands are being reffered to here?

beanmaidel

Tue, Mar 07 2006, 10:50 am

Milk Munch wrote:

Quote:

I must be "out of it"...what bands are being reffered to here?

In my original comment I was referring to certain Jewish Boy groups. They are frum guys singing Jewish songs yet it seems like there is a similarity between them and the non Jewish Boy bands.

I dont know if seniormom was referring to the same ones as me tho..

seniormom

Tue, Mar 07 2006, 11:17 am

I'd rather not get into particulars since that would definitely constitute loshon hora (and maybe legal slander, since they aren't really public figures), however, I've seen some of these boys in action, even off-stage at chasunas, for instance, and some are so drunk and/or so high, they're flying. These are definitely not boys I'd want my sons associated with socially, or as role models as performers either. I'd say they are personnally less than aidel, as are their performances (and that's an understatement.) Sad