Mark Twain famously wrote, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” This was Twain's tongue-in-cheek commentary on a vacuous society, one in which the façade of credibility became an acceptable replacement for the real thing. It’s been over 100 years since Twain’s death but his musing remains as applicable today as it did then. We’re still astonished to hear about “men of the cloth” raping little boys. We still believe that the guy we’d enjoy having a beer with would make a competent leader of the free world. We still associate a dress made out of raw beef with creativity. And Matthew McConaughey still receives acting roles. Now the Jewish community is struggling to come to terms with Chasidic music star, Matisyahu, no longer fitting comfortably inside the stereotypical box we believed he was so happy in.
Assumptions are dangerous things. Whether its assumptions about the morality of a university football coach, the honesty of our elected officials, or the efficacy of drugs we’re bombarded with via advertising. Of course assumptions do make life easier. They remove the hard work associated with reconciling seemingly contradictory parts of the same equation. But they also set us up for bitter disappointment. Would Bernie Madoff have eviscerated so many people’s life savings had they not assumed all was well with his investment strategies? But I digress.
Yesterday, Matisyahu (a.k.a. Matthew Miller) posted two photos of his newly beardless face to the social networking site Twitter and added an explanation on his website a few hours later.
“Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.” – Matisyahu
The transformation has predictably been met with mixed reactions. Some feel “duped” by the former Chassidic reggae singer. Some were eager to congratulate him for his bravery, while others simply questioned the financial wisdom of the decision, noting that Matisyahu’s iconic appearance had more to do with his rise to stardom than his talent alone. However, among these voices, those of discontent seem the loudest, even provoking Matisyahu to defensively respond via Twitter, “For all those who are confused: today I went to the Mikva and Shul just like yesterday.” This begs the question: Should he have felt ashamed were he not to take a ritual bath or attend synagogue? My point being: Matisyahu has every right to reformulate his image—especially when that image is based on something as contentious as religion. After all, religion begs critique, and even a lifelong struggle. People encounter similar dilemmas every day. The only difference being that most of us are not famous and consequently face far less scrutiny if we suddenly decide to zig when we were expected to zag. Would those expressing their dissatisfaction with Matisyahu’s transformation feel better if the singer were to maintain a Chasidic veneer for the sake selling albums of filling concert venues? Perhaps. Ignorance is bliss after all. Instead they’re being exposed to a level of sincerity they didn’t see coming. Their uneasiness is understandable. That’s the nature of change. Ultimately however, we should be appreciative of Matisyahu’s honesty and disappointed that we allowed our assumptions to get the better of us yet again.
