The Medium is the Message (Bava Batra 164)

I've always loved Marshall McLuhan and I especially love his book Understanding Media. In it he famously writes that "the medium is the message." In other words, the way we get out information actually determines what the message will be. We can think of it this way: watching a movie on TV (without DVR) forces one to watch it closely and in its entirety. But with DVR or the computer we have a different experience. We can relax more because we know that we can always rewind any part that we miss. We might be watching the same movie, but because we encounter it with different media, the message we gain is different.

I thought it was interesting that the Rabbis play on this idea. They explain that there are two types of documents. A Pashut document is a simple document that reads from top to bottom (like a regular piece of paper today). A Mikushar document is much different. Here the important pieces (name, date etc.) are written at the top. The document is then folded as an accordian and sewed shut until only the essential information and the signatures of the witnesses are visible. To read any other information one must break the strings that bind it.

The Rabbis explain that these documents have two different systems of dating. Both measure years by the rein of kings, however a Pashut document counts the years by how long the king has reined. A Mikushar document adds a year to the king's rein (out of respect and to make him seem more of a veteran). This was the practice of the surrounding non-Jewish nations at the time (or so Rashbam says) and we adopted it. So, if it says a king reined for 2 years, it really means he reined for one.

Therefore, knowing if a document is Pashut or M'kushar is very important. It is the difference between knowing the year of a document or not. This effects leases, leins, and other important property law. In this case, the medium truely determines the message.

To read an interesting article by Ohr Somayach about McLuhan and Torah click here.