Punk Rock Torah

by Heshy Fried on March 19, 2009 · 24 comments

Hat Tip to Matthue Roth who told me about this guy, punk rock divrei torah??? I love it, keep up the good work. I wonder if this has anything to do with the blog frum punk?

By the way this video is one of the funniest devar torahs I have ever heard.

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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }

Talmudist March 19, 2009 at 12:42 PM

The proletariat wear wool tzitzzis, and those are shatnez, so…

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Ken Lane March 19, 2009 at 3:12 PM

You know, at first this kind of set me uneasy; some counter culture, glam-punky type of guy talking about Torah and whatever, but I’m actually glad that Torah is penetrating the masses.

I do know some frum-punks, myself. Leather motorcycle jackets, skinny jeans, scarves and trendy stuff, but sure enough; kippah and tzitzit. They always make it their own, but as long as they’re keeping mitzvot, I can’t complain. I think part of the vegan culture helps them stay kosher, too.

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Phil March 19, 2009 at 3:50 PM

Ken,

By vegan, do you mean beer, fries and cigarettes?

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Ken Lane March 19, 2009 at 3:53 PM

EXACTLY!

Like when my brother went “vegan”. That meant Mountain Dew and circus peanuts. Wow. Don’t worry; he came back to the meatside.

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Veebee March 19, 2009 at 7:03 PM

Seriously, too much crack.

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yeshiva dude March 19, 2009 at 9:44 PM

This dude is a freakin gaylord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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yeshiva dude March 19, 2009 at 9:44 PM

Oh, and did I mention how much I hate gay people!!!!!!!

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Frum Satire March 19, 2009 at 11:50 PM

yeshiva dude you can go on hating just take your phobias away from this blog

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Patrick A March 20, 2009 at 1:29 AM

Thanks for the love, Frum! BTW Yeshiva Dude, I’m Straight. Got a lovely 1/4 Jew girlfriend and a legion of righteous female Jewish fans to prove it ;-)

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Phil March 20, 2009 at 8:22 AM

Patrick,

WTF is a1/4 Jew? Will she get 1/4 pregnant and have 1/4 kids? Are you 1/4 male or 1/4 human?

There is no such thing as 1/4 Jew, 1/2 Jew or even 3/4 Jew. That was an invention of ex communists trying to immigrate to Israel when the USSR collapsed, or an excuse used by secular Jews to date non Jews and make them acceptable to their semi traditional parents or grandparents.

You either are or aren’t, it as simple as that.

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Ken Lane March 20, 2009 at 8:42 AM

I think the “part-Jewish” is only used by the non-frum Jewish world, to what I’ve heard. I think to some, it sounds cool to say you’re “part-Jewish” as opposed to just “Jewish” because then it’s assumed you’re frum and it encompasses your lifestyle.

Mainstream fashion for men these days is getting a little more influenced by homosexual culture, so it is becoming more difficult to judge a book by its cover. Not all men who dress super-chic and might have feminine-accented voices are homosexual. That used to be way to tell, but I guess not anymore. Lisps and pointy shoes are becoming the norm, I guess.

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Critic March 20, 2009 at 10:44 AM

Phil, it was also used by the Nazis in deciding who they should deport, and who was a “true” aryan.

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Phil March 20, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Critic,

Proves my point even more.

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Patrick A March 20, 2009 at 5:01 PM

your kinda an angry fellow, phil. but good shabs to ya anyway, my man.

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Phil March 21, 2009 at 7:49 PM

Patrick,

I’m not angry, I just have a low tolerance for ignorance.

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Jelen March 22, 2009 at 6:46 AM

love it love it love it! i wan to like go be this guy’s friend! thanks, hesh!

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utubefan March 22, 2009 at 9:32 PM

Patrick, forgive me, but I have met some very learned young evangelical Christian kids (excuse me, but I’m inching to middle age so almost everyone is a kid to me) who are very up to speed on Torah. Just wondering if you fit into that category.

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Mark March 23, 2009 at 11:20 AM

By the way, did y’all know that Elvis Presley was Jewish? His mothers mother was Jewish!!!!

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Mark March 23, 2009 at 11:21 AM

Heshy, here’s an idea for a post – people you would never have dreamed were Jewish but are.

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Phil March 23, 2009 at 11:58 AM

Mark,

I guess you watched the Shmelvis movie…

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Mark March 23, 2009 at 1:50 PM

I guess you watched the Shmelvis movie…

The what???

I heard that he was Jewish from my wife who was reading it to me from the South Florida Jewish Guide (or whatever the thing that has the list of kosher restaurants in it is called) yesterday evening as we were searching for a kosher place for dinner (after visiting the Miami Zoo with the kids). I was driving, that’s why she was reading it to me.

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Phil March 23, 2009 at 2:09 PM

Mark,

Shmelvis (Dan Hartal) is a Montreal based, frum Elvis impersonator. He dresses like Elvis, but plays Jewish music.

A number of years ago, he got govt. funding to produce a documentary the the CBC. It was quite funny, he went all over US and Israel, making people laugh.

At one point in the film, he meets up with a popular Montreal Rabbi in Jerusalem, they “debate” Elvis being Jewish and end up doing the Hora for his yartzeit.

As I know the guy, the film had me laughing a lot, he did some really crazy things. At one point, he goes to Ramallah (back in Arafat’s days), comes of the bus with his Kippa, tzitzis, and Elvis costume, and starts dancing with the local hamas kids.

In another scene, he goes to a Memphis Elvis impersonator competition and gets barred from competing as he doesn’t actually know or play any Elvis songs.

Getting back to Elvis, I doubt he was Jewish. I visited Mississippi once, there were 3 Jewish families living in Jackson (the capital).

What’s interesting though, is that back when I was in Yeshiva in upstate NY, there was and old rabbi that ran the only shul in town. He and his wife had travelled the states, their claim to fame was that they were Elvis’s landlords in Tennesse back in his trucker days before he was famous. His wife used to tell us what a polite boy Elvis was, always carried her groceries for her, etc. I’m sure he would have mentioned himself being a Jew to the Rabbi if he really was.

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Chris_B March 23, 2009 at 2:57 PM

yeshiva dude,

The 80s called, they want their slang back.

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Neil Harris April 22, 2009 at 12:29 AM

This was great. I’ve heard the band and I think their fairly “traditional Jews”. Regardless, they are getting a message across. Pretty sweet.

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