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Matisyahu: A New Kind of Reggae

Last year I was searching through the now popular Myspace.com and stumbled upon a singer / song writer named Matisyahu. His picture threw me off first as here was a young guy wearing a black hat and a long beard. Then I read his profile and heard his music and I fell in love instantly! If you have not yet heard any of Matisyahu’s music, you can hear him for free on Myspace.com under his profile. XM Satellite Radio began playing his music on their channel named Ethel or you can buy his CD. Besides the amazing mixture of ska, … Continue reading →

Does Becoming Orthodox Mean Giving Everything Up?

The other day, I saw a letter published on the internet to Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. The writer was concerned about a friend of his who was once a successful musician, but who had given everything up when he became religious. The friend was learning in Yeshiva (an academy where Torah is learned intensively) day and night and didn’t have time for his music, much less, to spend time with his friends. When the concerned man asked his friend if he spent any time composing and playing, the newly-religious friend said he had “lost his musical soul and gained another one,” … Continue reading →

What is Hassidism?

We’ve seen them in airports, in movies, on the street, and (at least in my case) in our living rooms. Some of them wear fancy fur-lined streimels that sit atop their heads like huge crowns. Some have long sidelocks elegantly curled at each side of their heads, short sidelocks tucked behind their ears, or no sidelocks at all. The women may wear wigs alone, with hats or no wigs but helmet-like hats which cover every strand of hair. Yes, as implied by this lengthy introduction, they are most apparent for their dress, but who are hassidic Jews and what do … Continue reading →