The Miracle of Matisyahu

Kind of crushing on Matisyahu right now. (In a totally tzniut way, of course.)

After years and years and years of suffering through the cheesiness of “I Have A Little Dreidel” and Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song,” Judaism’s reggae superstar has given us not one but TWO holiday jams all our own:

Last year, he gave us “Miracle,” not only dance worthy but deeply representative of the spirit of the season. No need to claim Goldie Hawn here — it’s about what’s above all that. I have been singing up and down the halls of the office, much to the delight and excitement of everyone I work with:

Now, check his Tonight Show performance of the brand new “Happy Hanukkah” (then download the single to help those recovering that beeotch Hurricane Sandy):

http://youtu.be/9TxoDx_U84U

Our man Matty has gone through a true transformation in a year, shaving his beard and clearly employing a stylist (someone had to buy him those jeans; dude’s been wearing a black suit for a like a decade.) He appears to have cast off Orthodoxy for something more fluid, but still claims strong Jewish faith. I’m just glad he’s still making Chanukah songs we can be proud of.

(Call me meshuggeh, but I actually think he was little cuter with the peyes. What psychological nugget is embedded within my twisted Ashkenazic DNA that I think tzitzit are sexy?)