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{{Infobox Book
] at old ], ]]]
| name = I Am America (And So Can You!)
The term "'''Torah'''" (]: תּוֹרָה, "learning" or "instruction," ] as "Law"<ref>"The ancient Greek translation of the ] translated the word Torah as ''name'', or law," Wylen, Stephen M. ''Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism''. Paulist Press, 2001. p. 16 , however, the degree to which this is accurate or potentially misleading is a matter of debate. See ] and see also ], ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts'', Hebrew Publishing Company, 1964, page 630, and Coggins, R. J. ''Introducing the Old Testament'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), pg 3.</ref>), or '''Five Books of ]''' or '''Pentateuch''', refers to the entirety of ]'s founding ] and ethical ]s.<ref> at the Jewish Virtual Library</ref><ref>], '''''Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts'', ''Hebrew Publishing Company'', 1964, page 630.</ref> When used with an indefinite article, "a Torah" usually refers to a "'']''" (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, "book of Torah") or Torah scroll, written on parchment in a formal, traditional manner by a specially trained ] under very strict requirements.
| image = ]
| image_caption =
| author = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>'''with'''<br>Michael Brumm<br>]<br>Rob Dubbin<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>Jay Katsir<br>]<br>Frank Lesser<br>Tom Purcell
| country = ]
| language = ]
| subject =
| genre = ]<br/> ]
| publisher = ]
| release_date = ], ]
| media_type = ] & ]
| pages = 250 pp (1st edition)
| isbn = ISBN 0-446-58050-3 (first edition, hardback)
}}
'''''I Am America (And So Can You!)''''' is a 2007 satirical ] book by ] comedian ] and the writers of '']''. It was released on ], ], with the audiobook edition released several days earlier. The book is loosely structured around the fictional life story of ] as he appears on ''The Colbert Report''. As of the ], ] publishing, the book had been on the ] in the Hardcover Nonfiction category for twenty-four weeks, ranking number one for fourteen of them.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/ | title = ''New York Times'' Bestseller List | publisher = ''The New York Times'' | accessdate = 2008-04-02}}</ref>


== Description ==
The Torah is the most holy of the ] in Judaism.<ref>Coggins, R. J. ''Introducing the Old Testament'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), pg 1.</ref> It is the first of three sections in the ] (]), the founding religious document of Judaism,<ref>], ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts'', Hebrew Publishing Company, 1964, page 648</ref> and is divided into five books, whose names in English are ], ], ], ], and ], in reference to their themes (Their Hebrew names, ''Bereshit'', בראשית, ''Shemot'' שמות, ''Vayikra'' ויקרא, ''Bamidbar'' במדבר, and ''Devarim'' דברים, are derived from the wording of their initial verses). The Torah contains a variety of ]s, including allegories, historical narrative, poetry, genealogy, and the exposition of various types of law. According to rabbinic tradition, the Torah contains the 613 '']'' (מצוות, "commandments"), which are divided into 365 negative restrictions and 248 positive commands.<ref>Eisenberg, Ronald L. ''The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions'' (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2004), pg 515.</ref> In ], the word "Torah" denotes both the written text, "''Torah Shebichtav''" (תורה שבכתב, "Torah that is written"), as well as an ], "''Torah Shebe'al Peh''" (תורה שבעל פה, "Torah that is oral"). The oral portion consists of the "traditional interpretations and amplifications handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation," now embodied in the ] and ].<ref>], ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts'', Hebrew Publishing Company, 1964, page 630</ref>
''I Am America (And So Can You!)'' is described as being a "pure extension" of ''The Colbert Report'', delving into the views of Colbert's "well-intentioned, poorly informed ] idiot"<ref>{{cite news | last = Solomon | first = Deborah | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/magazine/25questions.html?_r=2&oref=slogin | title = Funny About the News | publisher = ''New York Times Magazine'' | date = 2005-09-25 | accessdate = 2008-01-05}}</ref> character on what he considers to be the most pressing issues facing America. The book draws some influence from the literary endeavors of the character's pundit models, such as ]'s '']'' (2000) and ]'s '']'' (2004), which Colbert says he forced himself to read as a reference.<ref>Colbert, Stephen (], ]). . Retrieved on ]-].</ref>


Red ] notes appear throughout the book, providing humorous reactions and counterpoints to Colbert's arguments in a style comparable to the ''Report'''s ] segment.<ref>{{cite news | last = Maslin | first = Janet | title = It May Be a Book, but You Can Read It | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/books/08masl.html?_r=1&oref=slogin | publisher = ''The New York Times'' | date = 2007-10-08 | accessdate = 2008-01-05}}</ref> The cover features a sticker depicting a burning book, declaring ''I Am America'' to be a winner of "The Stephen T. Colbert Award for the Literary Excellence." A sheet of twelve similar stickers are provided inside, with which readers are provided to nominate other books for the award. A second sheet of stickers containing positive expressions such as "Hell Yeah!", "Nailed It!" and "It's Morning In Colbert-ica" is included for readers as bookmarks to remind themselves "when you agreed with me most."<ref name="IAAASCY">Colbert, Stephen (]). '']''. New York: ]. ISBN 0-446-58050-3</ref>
Jewish religious tradition ascribes authorship of the Torah to ] through a process of ]. This view of ] is first found explicitly expressed in the Talmud, dating from the 3rd to the 6th centuries CE, and is based on textual analysis of passages in the Torah and the subsequent books of the Hebrew Bible. The Zohar, Vol. 11 Trumah Section 61 states that the Torah was created prior to the creation of the world, and that it was used as the ] for ].{{Fact|date=September 2008}} According to dating of the text by Orthodox ]s the revelation of the Torah to Moses occurred in 1380 BCE at ].{{fact|date=November 2008}} Contemporary secular biblical scholars date the completion of the Torah, as well as the prophets and the historical books, no earlier than the ] (539 to 334 BCE).<ref></ref> Scholarly discussion for much of the 20th century was principally couched in terms of the ], according to which the Torah is a synthesis of documents from a small number of originally independent sources.<ref name ="Harris">], Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.</ref>


Colbert, whose character frequently uses his show to advertise his own fictional products, frequently promoted ''I Am America'' on screen prior to and immediately following its release. On ], ], the day of the book's release, Colbert interviewed himself as the show's featured guest.
Outside of its central significance in Judaism, the Torah is accepted by ] as part of the ], comprising the first five books of the ].<ref>Coggins, R. J. ''Introducing the Old Testament'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), pg 1.</ref> The various ] of ] and ] hold a diverse spectrum of views regarding the ]. The Torah has also been accepted to varying degrees by the ]s and others as the authentic ] message of ] to the Israelites and as a factual history of the early Israelites, in both cases as ]. In ], the Torah (along with the Christian ]) or '']'' is seen as an authentic revelation from God corrupted with the additions and alterations of men.<ref>Esposito, John L. ''What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), pp 7-8.</ref> The faiths revering the Pentateuch consider many of their central tenets to be illustrated in the narratives of the Torah.


== Audiobook cast and crew ==
]
Starring:


*] as ] and as Gil Honeycomb, oldest man in the world (ch. 2, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Dolores Grierson, old maid (ch. 1, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Young Stephen (ch. 2, seven-year-old's note)
*] as Cow #L73NR, a cow (ch. 3, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as God, maker of all that is seen and unseen (ch. 4, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as The Guy Sitting Next to You at The Stadium (chs. 5 and 13, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Your Soulmate (ch. 6, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Austin, a formerly gay man (ch. 7, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Dr. Bernard Brunner, distinguished professor (ch. 8, Stephen Speaks For Me) and as Thomas Bindlestaff, executive assistant to Mr. Stephen Colbert (ch. 11, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Mort Sinclaire, former TV comedy writer and Communist (ch. 9, Stephen Speaks For Me)
*] as Rev. George A. Lewis, ex-civil rights leader (ch. 12, Stephen Speaks For Me)


Abridged by Paul Dinello, directed by Paul Dinello, produced by Paul Dinello and John McElroy.
== Authorship ==
=== Traditional attribution ===
{{main|Mosaic authorship}}
"Mosaic authorship" is the ascription to ] of the authorship of the five books of the ] or ]. According to Catholic Encyclopedia, the attribution of the Torah to Moses dates as back to the Bible itself, noting the fact that several books of the Bible, reference the Torah as the Book of Moses, Law of Moses, etc.<ref name="cath"> http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11646c.htm</ref> The attribution of the Torah to Moses can also be found in the New Testament according to Catholic Encyclopedia.<ref name="cath"/> The attribution of the Torah to Moses, is also expressed by the early Roman historian, Josephus Flavius. The attribution to Moses is expressed in the ], a collection of Jewish traditions and exegesis dating from the 3rd to the 6th centuries CE. This was presumably based on the several verses in the Torah describing Moses writing "torah" (instruction) from God: "The traditional doctrine of Mosaic authorship of the entire Torah has its source in Deuteronomy 31:9–12, 24, more than in any other passage"<ref name="sarna">Sarna, Nahum M. ''et al.'' "Bible." ''Encyclopaedia Judaica.'' Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 3. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. p576-679.</ref> {{Bibleref|Deuteronomy|31:9|KJV}} and {{Bibleref|Deuteronomy|31:24-26|KJV}} describe how Moses writes "]" (instruction) on a scroll and lays it beside the ].<ref>.</ref> Statements implying belief in Mosaic authorship of the Torah are contained in ],<ref></ref> ],<ref> and </ref> ],<ref></ref> ]<ref></ref> and ].<ref></ref>


== Awards ==
The rabbis of the ] (c. 200-500 CE) discussed exactly how the Torah was transmitted to Moses. In the Babylonian Talmud ''Gittin 60a'' it is written "Said ], the Torah was given in a series of small scrolls," implying that the Torah was written gradually and compiled from a variety of documents over time. Another opinion there that states that the entire Torah was given at one time. ] points to certain traditions of the ] that showed Moses quoting Genesis prior to the epiphany at Sinai. Based on a number of Bible verses and rabbinic statements, he suggests that Moses had certain documents authored by the ] that he made use of when redacting that book.<ref>See Torah Shelemah, Mishpatim Part 3 summarised by ] </ref> According to ], the 12th Century rabbi and philosopher, ], receiving it from ] either as divine inspiration or as direct dictation in the ] 2449 AM (1313 BCE).<ref>Eighth and ninth principles of ]' 13 Principles, ] Daily Siddur, page 75.</ref><ref>p.33, Kantor</ref>
The audiobook was nominated for the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 2009.


== See also ==
Later rabbis (and the Talmudic rabbis as well - see tractate Bava Basra 15a) and Christian scholars noticed some difficulties with the idea of Mosaic authorship of the entire Torah, notably the fact that the book of ] describes Moses' death; later versions of the tradition therefore held that some portions of the Torah were added by others - the death of Moses in particular was ascribed to ]. The ] explains this by saying that Moses wrote it tearfully, in anticipation of his death; another tradition is that ] added these words after Moses died (the next book is the ] which, according to Jewish tradition, was written by Joshua himself), and that the final verses of the book of Deuteronomy read like an ] to Moses.
* '']''


== References ==
Mosaic authorship was accepted with very little discussion by both Jews and Christians until the 17th century, when the rise of secular scholarship and the associated willingness to subject even the Bible to the test of reason led to its rejection by mainstream biblical scholars. The majority of modern scholars believe that the Torah is the product of many hands, stretching over many centuries, reaching its final form only around the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
{{reflist}}

=== Academic analysis ===
{{main|Documentary hypothesis}}
Many contemporary secular biblical scholars date the completion of the Torah, as well as the prophets and the historical books, no earlier than the ] (539 to 334 BCE).<ref></ref> Scholarly discussion for much of the 20th century was principally couched in terms of the ], according to which the Torah is a synthesis of documents from a small number of originally independent sources.<ref name ="Harris"/>

According to the most influential version of the hypothesis, as formulated by ] (1844 - 1918), the Pentateuch is composed of four separate and identifiable texts, dating roughly from the period of ] up until exilic priests and scribes. These various texts were brought together as one document (the Five Books of Moses of the Torah) by scribes after the exile.

* The ] (or J) - written ''c'' 950 BCE.<ref name ="Harris"/> The southern kingdom's (i.e. Judah) interpretation. It is named according to the prolific use of the name "Yahweh" (or Jaweh, in German, the divine name or ]) in its text.
* The ] (or E) - written ''c'' 850 BCE.<ref name ="Harris"/> The northern kingdom's (i.e. Israel) interpretation. As above, it is named because of its preferred use of "Elohim" (Generic name any heathen god or deity in Hebrew).
* The ] (or D) - written ''c'' 650-621 BCE.<ref name ="Harris"/> Dating specifically from the time of King Josiah of Judah and responsible for the book of Deuteronomy as well as Joshua and most of the subsequent books up to 2 Kings.
* The ] (or P) - written during or after the exile, ''c'' 550-400 BCE.<ref name ="Harris"/> So named because of its focus on Levitical laws.

The documentary hypothesis has been increasingly challenged since the 1970s, and alternative views now see the Torah as having been compiled from a multitude of small fragments rather than a handful of large coherent source texts,<ref>], "]: A Methodological Study", JSOT Press, Sheffield, 1987.</ref> or as having gradually accreted over many centuries and through many hands.<ref>], "]", Yale University Press, ISBN, 1975.</ref> The shorthand Yahwist, Priestly and Deuteronomistic is still used nevertheless to characterise identifiable and differentiable content and style.

The 19th century dating of the final form of Genesis and the Pentateuch to c. 500-450 BCE continues to be widely accepted irrespective of the model adopted,<ref>For an overview of current critical theories on the origins of the Pentateuch, see . For a more detailed treatment, see from Biblical Theology Bulletin, Winter 2006.</ref> although a minority of scholars known as ] argue for a date largely or entirely within the last two centuries BCE.

==Structure==
{{Books of Torah}}

The ] names of the five books of the Torah are taken from initial words of the first verse of each book. For example, the Hebrew name of the first book, ''Bereshit'', is the first three words of ]:

# ''Bereshit'' (בראשית, literally "In the beginning")
# ''Shemot'' (שמות, literally "Names")
# ''Vayikra'' (ויקרא, literally "He called")
# ''Bamidbar'' (במדבר, literally "In the wilderness")
# ''Devarim'' (דברים, literally "Things" or "Words")

The ]d names are derived from the ] and reflect the essential theme of each book:

# ]: "creation,"
# ]: "departure"
# ]: refers to the ] and the regulations that apply to their presence and service in the ], which form the bulk of the third book.
# ] (''Arithmoi''): contains a record of the numbering of the Israelites in the wilderness of ] and later on the plain of ].
# ]: "second law," refers to the fifth book's recapitulation of the ] reviewed by Moses before his death.

According to the classical Jewish view, the stories in the Torah are not always in chronological order. Sometimes they are ordered by concept according to the rule: "There is not 'earlier' and 'later' in the Torah" (אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה, ''Ein mukdam u'meuchar baTorah'').<ref>] ] 7a</ref> This position is accepted by Orthodox Judaism. Non-Orthodox Jews generally understand the same texts as signs that the current text of the Torah was redacted from earlier sources (see ].)

===Contents===
''']''' (Genesis) begins with the story of ] (Genesis 1-3) and ] and ] in the ], as well the account of their descendants. Following these are the accounts of ] and the great flood (Genesis 3-9), and his descendants. The ] and the story of (])'s covenant with God (Genesis 10-11) are followed by the story of the patriarchs, Abraham, ], and ], and the life of ] (Genesis 12-50). God gives to the ] a promise of the land of ], but at the end of Genesis the sons of Jacob end up leaving Canaan for Egypt because of a famine.

''']''' (Exodus) is the story of ], who leads Israelites out of Pharaoh's Egypt (Exodus 1-18) with a promise to take them to the promised land. On the way, they camp at ]/Horeb where Moses receives the Torah, including the ], from God, and mediates His laws and Covenant (Exodus 19-24) the people of Israel. Exodus also deals with the violation of the commandment against ] when ] took part in the construction of the ] (Exodus 32-34). Exodus concludes with the instructions on building the ] (Exodus 25-31; 35-40).

''']''' (Leviticus) begins with instructions to the Israelites on how to use the Tabernacle, which they had just built (Leviticus 1-10). This is followed by rules of clean and unclean (Leviticus 11-15), which includes the laws of slaughter and animals permissible to eat (see also: ]), the ] (Leviticus 16), and various moral and ritual laws sometimes called the ] (Leviticus 17-26).

''']''' (Numbers) takes two censuses where the number of Israelites are counted (Numbers 1-3, 26), and has many laws mixed among the narratives. The narratives tell how Israel consolidated itself as a community at Sinai (Numbers 1-9), set out from Sinai to move towards Canaan and spied out the land (Numbers 10-13). Because of unbelief at various points, but especially at Kadesh Barnea (Numbers 14), the Israelites were condemned to wander for forty years in the desert in the vicinity of Kadesh instead of immediately entering the land of promise. Even Moses sins and is told he would not live to enter the land (Numbers 20). At the end of Numbers (Numbers 26-35) Israel moves from the area of Kadesh towards the promised land. They leave the Sinai desert and go around Edom and through Moab where Balak and Balaam oppose them (Numbers 22-24; 31:8, 15-16). They defeat two Transjordan kings, Og and Sihon (Numbers 21), and so come to occupy some territory outside of Canaan. At the end of the book they are on the plains of Moab opposite ] ready to enter the Promised Land.

''']''' (Deuteronomy) consists primarily of a series of speeches by Moses on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho exhorting Israel to obey God and further instruction on His Laws. At the end of the book (Deuteronomy 34), Moses is allowed to see the promised land from a mountain, but it is not known what happened to Moses on the mountain. He was never seen again. Knowing that he is nearing the end of his life, Moses appoints ] his successor, bequeathing to him the mantle of leadership. Soon afterwards Israel begins the conquest of Canaan.

==Torah and Judaism==
{{Judaism}}
The Torah is the primary holy scripture of ]. According to Talmudic teachings the Torah was created 974 ]s (2,000 years) before the world was created, and is the blueprint that God used to create the world. Furthermore, the Talmud teaches, everything created in this world is for the purpose of carrying out the word of the Torah, and the foundation Jewish belief stems from the knowledge that the Lord is the God Who created the world.

]nic writings offer various ideas on when the entire Torah was actually revealed to the Jewish people. The revelation to Moses at ] is considered by many to be the most important revelatory event. According to dating of the text by Orthodox ]s this occurred in 1280 BCE. Some rabbinic sources state that the entire Torah was given all at once at this event. In the maximalist belief, this dictation included not only the quotations that appear in the text, but every word of the text itself, including phrases such as "And God spoke to Moses...", and included God telling Moses about Moses' own death and subsequent events. Other classical rabbinic sources hold that the Torah was revealed to Moses over many years, and finished only at his death. Another school of thought holds that although Moses wrote the vast majority of the Torah, a number of sentences throughout the Torah must have been written after his death by another prophet, presumably Joshua. ] and ] observed that some phrases in the Torah present information that people should only have known after the time of Moses. Ibn Ezra hinted, and Bonfils explicitly stated, that Joshua (or perhaps some later prophet) wrote these sections of the Torah. Other rabbis would not accept this belief.

It is commonly believed within Judaism that had Israel been faithful to the God of Israel, the rest of the ] or Hebrew Bible would have been unnecessary. Much of the rest of the Hebrew Bible concerns God's warnings and calling His people back to Himself. Thus the first five books are seen as unique and sufficient as the complete revelation from God, while the remainder of the ] deals with Man's departure disobeying the Torah.

The ] (tractate Sabb. 115b) states that a peculiar section in the Book of Numbers (10:35 — 36, surrounded by inverted Hebrew letter nuns) in fact forms a separate book. On this verse a midrash on the book of Mishle (also called ]) states that "These two verses stem from an independent book which existed, but was suppressed!" Another (possibly earlier) midrash, Ta'ame Haserot Viyterot, states that this section actually comes from the book of prophecy of ]. The Talmud says that God dictated four books of the Torah, but that Moses wrote Deuteronomy in his own words (], Meg. 31b). All classical beliefs, nonetheless, hold that the Torah was entirely or almost entirely Mosaic and of divine origin.<ref>For more information on these issues from an Orthodox Jewish perspective, see ''Modern Scholarship in the Study of Torah: Contributions and Limitations'', Ed. ], and ''Handbook of Jewish Thought'', Volume I, by ].</ref>

===Ritual use===
] (], ])]]{{main|Torah reading}}
Torah reading ({{Hebrew Name 1|קריאת התורה|K'riat HaTorah|"Reading the Torah"}}) is a Jewish religious ] that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a ]. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the ] (or scrolls) from the ], chanting the appropriate excerpt with special ], and returning the scroll(s) to the ark. It is distinct from academic ].

Regular public reading of the Torah was introduced by ] the Scribe after the return of the Jewish people from the ] (c. 537 BCE), as described in the ].<ref>Book of Nehemia, </ref> In the modern era, adherents of Orthodox Judaism practice Torah reading according to a set procedure they believe has remained unchanged in the two thousand years since the destruction of the ] (70 CE). In the 19th and 20th centuries CE, new movements such as ] and ] have made adaptations to the practice of Torah reading, but the basic pattern of Torah reading has usually remained the same:

As a part of the morning or afternoon prayer services on certain days of the week or holidays, a section of the ] is read from a Torah scroll. On ] (Saturday) mornings, a weekly section ("'']''") is read, selected so that the entire Pentateuch is read consecutively each year.<ref>The division of ''parashot'' found in the modern-day Torah scrolls of all Jewish communities (Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and Yemenite) is based upon the systematic list provided by Maimonides in ], ''Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and Torah Scrolls'', chapter 8. Maimonides based his division of the ''parashot'' for the Torah on the ]. Though initially doubted by ], this has become the established position in modern scholarship. (See the ] article for more information.)</ref><ref>] and ] synagogues may read ''parashot'' on a triennial rather than annual schedule. See: , </ref> On Saturday afternoons, Mondays, and Thursdays, the beginning of the following Saturday's portion is read. On ]s and ], special sections connected to the day are read.

Jews observe an annual holiday, ], to celebrate the completion of the year's cycle of readings.

The Torah, being the core of Judaism, is naturally also the core of the ]. As such the Torah is "dressed" often with a sash, various ornaments and a crown (customs vary among synagogues and denominations). Congregants traditionally stand when the Torah is brought to be read.

===Biblical law===
{{seealso|Biblical law}}

Besides the narrative, the Torah also contains statements or principles of law and ethics. Collectively these laws, usually called ] or commandments, are sometimes referred to as the '''Law of Moses''' (''Torat Moshe'' {{hbrttav}}{{hbrholamm}}{{hbrresh}}{{hbrpatah}}{{hbrtav}}{{hbrmaqaf}}{{hbrmem}}{{hbrholam}}{{hbrshin.}}{{hbrsegol}}{{hbrhe}}), '''Mosaic Law''' or simply '''the Law'''.

===The Torah and the Oral Law===
{{see also|Oral Torah}}
Many Jewish laws are not directly mentioned in the Torah, but are derived from textual hints, which were expanded orally. This was called the ] or ].

Rabbinic tradition holds that the written Torah was transmitted in parallel with the oral tradition. Jews point to texts of the Torah, where many words and concepts are left undefined and many procedures are mentioned without explanation or instructions; the reader is required to seek out the missing details from the oral sources. Many times in the Torah it says ''that/as you are/were shown on the mountain'' in reference of how to do a commandment ({{bibleverse||Exodus|25:40|HE}}).

There are numerous examples of biblical commandments which are either too ambiguous or documented in such a concise fashion that proper adherence is absolutely impossible without the details provided by the oral tradition.<ref>Rietti, Rabbi Jonathan. The Oral Law: The Heart of The Torah, </ref>
*]: As indicated in Deuteronomy 6:8 among other places, tefillin are to be placed on the arm and on the head between the eyes. However, there are no details provided regarding what tefillin are or how they are to be constructed.
*] laws: As indicated in Exodus 23:19 among other places, a kid may not be boiled in its mother's milk. In addition to numerous other problems with understanding the ambiguous nature of this law, there are no vowelization characters in the Torah; they are provided by the oral tradition. This is particularly relevant to this law, as the Hebrew word for ''milk'' is identical to the word for ''fat'' when vowels are absent. Without the oral tradition, it is not known whether the violation is in mixing meat with milk or with fat.
*] laws: With the severity of Sabbath violation, namely the death penalty, one would assume that direction would be provided as to how exactly such a serious and core commandment should be upheld. However, there is little to no information as to what can and cannot be performed on the Sabbath. Without the oral tradition, keeping this law would be impossible.

According to classical rabbinic texts this parallel set of material was originally transmitted to Moses at Sinai, and then from Moses to Israel. At that time it was forbidden to write and publish the oral law, as any writing would be incomplete and subject to misinterpretation and abuse.

However, after exile, dispersion and persecution, this tradition was lifted when it became apparent that in writing was the only way to ensure that the Oral Law could be preserved. After many years of effort by a great number of ], the oral tradition was written down around 200 CE by Rabbi ] who took up the compilation of a nominally written version of the Oral Law, the ]. Other oral traditions from the same time period not entered into the Mishnah were recorded as "Baraitot" (external teaching), and the ]. Other traditions were written down as ].

Over the next four centuries this small, ingenious record of laws and ethical teachings provided the necessary signals and codes to allow the continuity of the same Mosaic Oral traditions to be taught and passed on in Jewish communities scattered across both of the world's major Jewish communities, (from ] to ]).

After continued persecution more of the Oral Law had to be committed to writing. A great many more lessons, lectures and traditions only alluded to in the few hundred pages of Mishnah, became the thousands of pages now called the '']''. Gemara is Aramaic, having been compiled in Babylon. The Mishnah and Gemara together are called the ]. The Rabbis in Israel also collected their traditions and compiled them into the ]. Since the greater number of Rabbis lived in Babylon, the Babylonian Talmud has precedence should the two be in conflict.

Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews accept these texts as the basis for all subsequent halakha and codes of Jewish law, which are held to be normative. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews deny that these texts may be used for determining normative law (laws accepted as binding) but accept them as the authentic and only Jewish version of understanding the Bible and its development throughout history. (Reform and Reconstructionist, although they reject Jewish law as normative, do not accept the religious texts of any other faith.)
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] -->

===Divine significance of letters, Jewish mysticism===
{{see|Kabbalah}}
The Rabbis hold that not only are the words giving a Divine message, but indicate a far greater message that extends beyond them. Thus they hold that even as small a mark as a ''kotzo shel yod'' (קוצו של יוד), the ] of the Hebrew letter '']'' (י), the smallest letter, or decorative markings, or repeated words, were put there by God to teach scores of lessons. This is regardless of whether that yod appears in the phrase "I am the Lord thy God" (אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, Exodus 20:2) or whether it appears in "And God spoke unto Moses saying" (וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה; וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אֲנִי יְהוָה. Exodus 6:2). In a similar vein, ], who died in 135 CE, is said to have learned a new law from every ''et'' (את) in the Torah (], tractate Pesachim 22b); the word ''et'' is meaningless by itself, and serves only to mark the ]. In other words, the ] belief is that even apparently contextual text "And God spoke unto Moses saying..." is no less important than the actual statement.

One ] interpretation is that the Torah constitutes one long name of God, and that it was broken up into words so that human minds can understand it. While this is effective since it accords with our human reason, it is not the only way that the text can be broken up.

==Production and use of a Torah scroll==
{{main|Sefer Torah}}
] service]]] Torah ]s are still used, and still scribed, for ritual purposes (i.e. ]); this is called a '']'' ("Book Torah"). They are written using a painstakingly careful methodology by highly qualified scribes. This has resulted in modern copies of the text that are unchanged from millennia-old copies. It is believed that every word, or marking, has divine meaning, and that not one part may be inadvertently changed lest it lead to error. The fidelity of the Hebrew text of the Tanakh, and the Torah in particular, is considered paramount, down to the last letter: translations or transcriptions are frowned upon for formal service use, and transcribing is done with painstaking care. An error of a single letter, ornamentation, or symbol of the 304,805 stylized letters which make up the Hebrew Torah text renders a Torah scroll unfit for use, hence a special skill is required and a scroll takes considerable time to write and check.

According to Jewish law, a ''sefer Torah'' (plural: ''Sifrei Torah'') is a copy of the formal Hebrew text of hand-written on '']'' or '']'' (forms of ]) by using a ] (or other permitted writing utensil) dipped in ink. Written entirely in ], a ''sefer Torah'' contains 304,805 letters, all of which must be duplicated precisely by a trained '']'' (“scribe”), an effort which may take as long as approximately one and a half years. Most modern Sifrei Torah are written with forty-two lines of text per column (Yemenite Jews use fifty), and very strict rules about the position and appearance of the ] are observed. See for example the ] on the subject.<ref> translated by Jen Taylor Friedman (geniza.net)</ref> Any of several Hebrew scripts may be used, most of which are fairly ornate and exacting.

The completion of the sefer Torah is a cause for great celebration, and it is a ] for every Jew to either write or have written for him a Sefer Torah. Torah scrolls are stored in the ] part of the ] in the ] known as the "Holy Ark" (אֲרוֹן הקֹדשׁ ''aron hakodesh'' in Hebrew.) Aron in Hebrew means 'cupboard' or 'closet' and Kodesh is derived from 'Kadosh', or 'holy'.

==Torah in other religions==
{{seealso|Biblical law in Christianity|Islam and Judaism}}

Both ] and ] include the five books of Moses among their sacred texts. However, in both religions they lack the central significance that they have in Judaism.

In ] a ] version of the ], called in Latin the ] was used, and as the Pentateuch, forms the beginning of the ] that incorporate the Torah into the Christian ] that also includes some books not found in the ].<ref>p.317, DeSilva</ref> Though different Christian denominations have slightly ] of the Old Testament in their Bibles, the Torah as the "Five Books of Moses" (or "the Law") are common to them all.

] draws heavily upon the Torah for Islamic concepts, teachings, and history of the early World.<ref>p.123, Wheeler</ref> from which it also derives that it is descended from Abraham's first son ], the half-brother of ].

Muslims call the Torah the '']'' and consider it the word of ] given to Moses. However, Muslims also believe that this original revelation was corrupted ('']'') over time by Jewish scribes<ref> by Sheikh Ahmed Deedat</ref> and hence do not revere the present Jewish version Torah as much. A number of verses from the Qur'an are claimed to refer to Muhammed as the promised prophet to be found in the Torah.<ref>{{cite quran|7|157|end=158|style=ref}}, {{cite quran|7|144|end=144|expand=no|style=ref}}</ref> The Torah in the Qur'an is always mentioned with respect in Islam. The Muslims' belief in the Torah, as well as the Prophethood of Moses, is one of the ] of Islam.

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==See also==
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==References==
* Kantor, Mattis, ''The Jewish time line encyclopedia: A yearby-year history from Creation to the present'', Jason Aronson Inc., London, 1992
* Wheeler, Brannon M., ''Moses in the Quran and Islamic Exegesis'', Routledge, 2002
* DeSilva, David Arthur, ''An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry'', InterVarsity Press, 2004
* Alcalay, Reuben., ''The Complete Hebrew - English dictionary'', vol 2, Hemed Books, New York, 1996 ISBN 978-9654481793
* Scherman, Nosson, (ed.), Tanakh, Vol.I, The Torah, (Stone edition), Mesorah Publications, Ltd., New York, 2001
* Heschel, Abraham Joshua, Tucker, Gordon & Levin, Leonard, ''Heavenly Torah: As Refracted Through the Generations'', London, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005


==External links== ==External links==
{{wikiquotepar|I Am America (And So Can You!)}}
{{Wikisourcepar|Tanakh}}
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{{Wiktionary|Pentateuch}}
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| title = #1 '''New York Times''' Best Seller Non-Fiction (second run)
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Revision as of 07:41, 9 February 2009

I Am America (And So Can You!)
AuthorStephen Colbert
Rich Dahm
Paul Dinello
Allison Silverman
with
Michael Brumm
Eric Drysdale
Rob Dubbin
Glenn Eichler
Peter Grosz
Peter Gwinn
Jay Katsir
Laura Krafft
Frank Lesser
Tom Purcell
LanguageEnglish
GenrePolitical satire
Humor
PublisherGrand Central Publishing
Publication dateOctober 9, 2007
Publication placeUSA
Media typeHardback & Audiobook
Pages250 pp (1st edition)
ISBNISBN 0-446-58050-3 (first edition, hardback) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character

I Am America (And So Can You!) is a 2007 satirical bestseller book by American comedian Stephen Colbert and the writers of The Colbert Report. It was released on October 9, 2007, with the audiobook edition released several days earlier. The book is loosely structured around the fictional life story of Stephen Colbert as he appears on The Colbert Report. As of the April 6, 2008 publishing, the book had been on the New York Times Bestseller List in the Hardcover Nonfiction category for twenty-four weeks, ranking number one for fourteen of them.

Description

I Am America (And So Can You!) is described as being a "pure extension" of The Colbert Report, delving into the views of Colbert's "well-intentioned, poorly informed high status idiot" character on what he considers to be the most pressing issues facing America. The book draws some influence from the literary endeavors of the character's pundit models, such as Bill O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor (2000) and Sean Hannity's Deliver Us From Evil (2004), which Colbert says he forced himself to read as a reference.

Red margin notes appear throughout the book, providing humorous reactions and counterpoints to Colbert's arguments in a style comparable to the Report's Wørd segment. The cover features a sticker depicting a burning book, declaring I Am America to be a winner of "The Stephen T. Colbert Award for the Literary Excellence." A sheet of twelve similar stickers are provided inside, with which readers are provided to nominate other books for the award. A second sheet of stickers containing positive expressions such as "Hell Yeah!", "Nailed It!" and "It's Morning In Colbert-ica" is included for readers as bookmarks to remind themselves "when you agreed with me most."

Colbert, whose character frequently uses his show to advertise his own fictional products, frequently promoted I Am America on screen prior to and immediately following its release. On October 9, 2007, the day of the book's release, Colbert interviewed himself as the show's featured guest.

Audiobook cast and crew

A sample image of the sticker found on the book, which reads "The Stephen T. Colbert Award for the Literary Excellence".

Starring:

  • Stephen Colbert as Himself and as Gil Honeycomb, oldest man in the world (ch. 2, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Amy Sedaris as Dolores Grierson, old maid (ch. 1, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Raymond Whitman as Young Stephen (ch. 2, seven-year-old's note)
  • Evelyn McGee as Cow #L73NR, a cow (ch. 3, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Paul Gilmartin as God, maker of all that is seen and unseen (ch. 4, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Kevin Dorff as The Guy Sitting Next to You at The Stadium (chs. 5 and 13, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Allison Silverman as Your Soulmate (ch. 6, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Paul Dinello as Austin, a formerly gay man (ch. 7, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Brian Stack as Dr. Bernard Brunner, distinguished professor (ch. 8, Stephen Speaks For Me) and as Thomas Bindlestaff, executive assistant to Mr. Stephen Colbert (ch. 11, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Jon Stewart as Mort Sinclaire, former TV comedy writer and Communist (ch. 9, Stephen Speaks For Me)
  • Greg Hollimon as Rev. George A. Lewis, ex-civil rights leader (ch. 12, Stephen Speaks For Me)

Abridged by Paul Dinello, directed by Paul Dinello, produced by Paul Dinello and John McElroy.

Awards

The audiobook was nominated for the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 2009.

See also

References

  1. "New York Times Bestseller List". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. Solomon, Deborah (2005-09-25). "Funny About the News". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 2008-01-05. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. Colbert, Stephen (October 16, 2007). "Meet the Author" podcast. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
  4. Maslin, Janet (2007-10-08). "It May Be a Book, but You Can Read It". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-05. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. Colbert, Stephen (2007). I Am America (And So Can You!). New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-58050-3

External links

Preceded byMy Grandfather's Son
by Clarence Thomas 		#1 New York Times Best Seller Non-Fiction (first run)
October 28, 2007–December 2, 2007 		Succeeded byAn Inconvenient Book
by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe
Preceded byAn Inconvenient Book
by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe 		#1 New York Times Best Seller Non-Fiction (second run)
December 16, 2007–January 13, 2008 		Succeeded byIn Defense of Food
by Michael Pollan
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