Matisyahu did a radio interview on WNYC where he discussed his reasons for shaving off his beard and payos. Apparently he is still going to the synagogue, still hitting the mikveh and still rocking a big ol’ kippah. Below is the video of the interview in two parts. It doesn’t seem as if he’s given up on his Judaism and he remains soft spoken, understated and modest.

Part 1

Part 2

So what’s your take on Matisyahu’s “transformation?” Is he selling out? Or is this a non-story?

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ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

4 Comments

  • Lol about Rav Shmuel. I guess the number of times people mistake him for Matis is going to decrease…or at least some people are going to be very confused 🙂

    Maybe RY or someone else can help me out here, but it appears that he shaved off his peyos too…isn’t that a bigger deal than the beard? This whole thing brings up really interesting questions about identity, faith, personal choice, etc. which are really much bigger than this one man and his beard. I’m enjoying the conversation.