Some Bay Area college students found a rare opportunity to spend Shabbat with Hassidic reggae superstar Matisyahu.
The 27-year-old musician, born Matthew Miller, joined students for Friday night services at the Berkeley Chabad, followed by a dinner that lasted well into the night at the nearby home of Chabad Rabbi Yehuda Ferris.
Matisyahu, a towering 6-foot-4-inch man, engaged in conversation with probing students who asked him all about his music, life and future. He was quiet and reserved and appeared to be saving his voice for his upcoming shows.
Matisyahu is on tour for his new top-selling album, Youth. The hit, “King Without a Crown,� has made it to number seven on Billboard charts.
On tour with him were his son Laivy, 1, and wife, Tahlia, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child in November.
On Shabbat, Matisyahu quietly finished his prayers while the Ferris home filled with chatter as more than 100 students socialized.
After prayers, he introduced himself and spent the evening shaking hands and receiving praise.
After the dinner, he sat with his wife Tahlia and son Laivy and sang with the group. He spoke with the group about what it’s like being a first-time father.
Tahlia held a discussion on intimacy toward the close of the evening.
Matisyahu showed his more energetic side after the sun set on Saturday, when he performed to throngs of fans at the San Jose Civic Auditorium.
More than 2,000 teenagers, college students, Orthodox Jews, reggae fans and vigilant parents fell silent as Matisyahu sauntered onstage clad in a black coat and fedora to sing a soulful melody.
He gained momentum throughout the show with the help of his band—two drummers, a guitarist, keyboardist and bass player—and added high-energy Hassidic dancing to the performance. He worked through some of his most popular songs such as “King Without a Crown� and “Jerusalem.� Many of the words were difficult to understand because of the reggae style of singing, but some of the messages came across loud and clear.
“Even if you don’t understand all the words,� Matisyahu said in a question and answer session held on Sunday at the Berkeley Hillel House, “eventually they’ll get it.�
Matisyahu spent the remainder of the weekend in Berkeley, where he held an hour-long question and answer session at the Berkeley Hillel. Students asked about his transition from being a secular to religious Jew, his music, traveling to Israel and how he stays observant while on tour.
It’s not hard; you just have to know what to look out for, Matisyahu says. “When you have your mind made up to do something, you can do it,� he said.
Matisyahu decided to follow Hasidic Jewish law after his rocky teenage years in White Plains, N.Y.
“I made a break from everything in my past,� he said. He thought he would be satisfied with traditional Jewish music, but soon realized he could have the best of both worlds by making his own Jewish music—reggae style.
His music is based on genres he knew from the past—hip-hop and reggae—but with some of the Jewish elements from Chasidic songs and Sephardic melodies.
Perhaps it is his timeless themes, or the novelty of a man in a black coat, tzitzit and a fedora twirling onstage, but whatever the reason, Matisyahu went from performing in coffee shops in New York to selling out shows in world capitals.
While his popularity grows, he continues to inspire and touch fans from all walks of life. Even though Orthodoxy might frown upon some of the things going on at his concerts, making music is something Matisyahu felt he needed to do.
“I like being out there and saying, ‘This is who I am,’� Matisyahu said.