Matisyahu, Hasidic reggae superstar, regrows beard [Video]

Hasidic reggae superstar Matisyahu, known for his beat-boxing and Hebrew rhyming, has apparently begun to regrow his beard. The Orthodox Jewish chart-topper posted a picture of himself and his son on Twitter earlier this week in which his famous beard could be seen making a reappearance.

“BH [blessed be God] we made it,” he Tweeted this week, linking to the picture of his famous facial hair. “3 kids under 6 to airport making it to the promised land after 40 years in desert.”

Matisyahu, originally perceived as a novelty act due to his fervent Orthodoxy, made waves in December when he shaved his beard, a symbol of wisdom and divine grace according to the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah, leading to speculation that he was renouncing Judaism.

Matisyahu’s first shave in years was also announced by way of Twitter, when he Tweeted a picture of himself sans beard and wrote that “At the break of day I look for you at sunrise When the tide comes in I lose my disguise.”

In a statement on his website at the time, Matisyahu wrote that when he “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.”

Assuring fans that he had not left his religion, even was moving away from some of the more mystical aspects of the faith, Matisyahu left celbrity watchers scratching their heads over the direction that his career would take following such a bold move.

This new posting, in which the bearded and skullcapped hasid holds his son while sitting on a plane, seems to indicate that Matisyahu’s faith will continue to play an important role in his music.

Well, he did say that “you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair” when his beard first came off…