Matisyahu dreamed of playing at the Beacon Theatre in New York City since he was a college student. On Nov. 3, he performed his first show at the venue for a group of Jewish college students. 

“I have a feeling it’s gonna be like a full circle moment, like from the time when I was your guys’ age,” Matisyahu said in an interview with Mitzpeh on Friday. 

The famous Jewish reggae singer spoke to Mitzpeh via Zoom just days before his show at Yallapalooza, Hillel International’s series of concerts hosted in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. 

Matisyahu expressed his excitement to perform for Jewish students who have faced immense antisemitism on their campuses since Oct. 7, 2023. 

When asked what he hopes to bring to the venue that night, his answer was simple: “Pure Jewish inspiration.”

Matisyahu’s songs have held deep significance for Jewish children who grew up in the 2000s. His most famous song, “One Day”, released in 2009, is a song about peace. 

As Jewish children grew up hearing about terror attacks that plagued Israeli communities, this song represented hope for a better future. 

“All my life I’ve been waiting for, I’ve been praying for, for the people to say, that we don’t want to fight no more, there’ll be no more wars, and our children will play… one day… one day… one day,” the lyrics to “One Day” say.

The song’s chorus feels as poignant as ever, as Israel enters the second year of the Israel-Hamas War. 

Mitzpeh asked Matisyahu if the meaning of his song had changed for him in the year after Oct. 7. 

“Well, I think that for Jews, the idea of peace is quintessential,” Matisyahu said. “I think no matter how much violence we have to endure, we can’t ever lose that vision.”

He talked about the complicated nature of peace-building, noting that what people disagree on is the way to achieve it. His job in the journey for peace , though, is to remind Jewish people to never let go of the vision. 

“No matter what, try not to break that vision,” Matisyahu said.

Despite the hopeful nature of his music, he shared that he hasn’t made much music since Oct. 7, 2023.

“I’ve been listening to a lot of Israeli music lately,” Matisyahu said. “It just makes you feel so happy and like, you just feel like, we’re gonna get through this.” 

Music has always been a way Matisyahu has connected to his Judaism and spirituality. He described his journey of studying Torah and Kabbalah during the time he was most religious in his life, realizing all of the musical material within the ancient texts. 

“Whether it’s Tehillim, or quotes from the Torah, or just ideas. As I started studying more and more and getting deeper and deeper into it, it became kind of the basis for my songs,” Matisyahu said.

 “Judaism has always somehow been kind of connected to the music I make,” Matisyahu shared. “My identity has always been connected to it.” 

Through all of the stages in his life, dealing with hardships and celebrations, Judaism has been a consistent theme throughout his music. The way he personally relates to Orthodox Jewish practice has fluctuated, but his love for Jewish thought has remained.

“Even though I’m not that religious now, I still feel that Judaism is a very spiritual and truthful place to pull ideas from.” For Matisyahu, Jewish texts have “shifted into a creative place, more than a lifestyle or a dogma.” 

Judaism, of course, isn’t his sole musical inspiration. The first concert Matisyahu ever attended was Bruce Springsteen, which catapulted him into the world of music. The band Phish can be credited for his love for live music. 

“Phish had a huge impact on me in terms of understanding a live show could transport a person into a completely different space. An inner space,” Matisyahu said.

His appreciation for reggae music is undeniable, and its traditional sounds can be heard in every one of Matisyahu’s songs. His introduction to reggae music was Bob Marley, someone he said is “still the dopest and the deepest.” 

Examining the contexts behind Jewish and biblical symbols and themes used in Marley’s music led him down a path of self-discovery. Matisyahu’s early career was marked by figuring out how he could make a specific place along the intersection of Judaism and reggae music. 

During the concert he put on for a crowd of excited Jewish college students, played the songs “Sunshine,” “Jerusalem,” “Live Like a Warrior” and of course, “One Day.” As the show came to a close, the crowd repeated, in song, the lyrics to “One Day.”

“One day… one day… one day…” This declaration of hope was precisely what Matisyahu wanted to bring to the event that night. His hope that Jewish students will never let go of the vision for peace will be made true because of his powerful music.