Comment: You say that a paper book is still more important than an electronic one because it has a spiritual root while an electronic one does not.

My Response: Now everything is moving to electronics, everything will be in electronic form; this cannot be changed. But the book itself is simply symbols that a person writes with his hand and reads with his eyes.

Basically, I do not think it matters much for our generation. Today I also read basic literature from the screen although we learn from books.

Question: But you said that now even paper is not what it used to be. Does the texture of the paper on which the book is printed play a role?

Answer: Real paper is, of course, papyrus. From that came the word “paper.” Also, records were made on sheepskins that were prepared in a special way. When you take the skin, it splits into two parallel layers. The book is written on the outer part of the inner layer.

Question: Why was this done?

Answer: Because a book is a desire of a person that he describes in writing.

We can correct all our desires in four and a half stages. They are called Mocha [marrow], Atzamot [bones], Gidin [tendons], Basar [flesh], and Or [skin].

The skin is the last part that belongs to Malchut; it can only be corrected halfway. This divided skin of an animal (we, after all, are also animals and correct our animal part) can be corrected only halfway from the inside.

The other part cannot be corrected; those desires are too great for us, we do not have the strength for this. Therefore, the book is the maximum attainment of spirituality through four and a half degrees of our desires.
[309253]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Book or iPad” 5/21/12

Related Material:
A Book Is Knowledge That Is Around Us
The Advantage Of Printed Books
Printed Text, Audio, Or Video Media?

Filed under: Kabbalah Study | Add Comment →