find-reference

name	find-reference
description	Find passages, sources, or topical references in the Jewish library via Sefaria when the user knows the concept but not the citation. Combines keyword search, semantic search, dictionary lookup, and topic browsing across Tanakh, Talmud, Halakha, Kabbalah, and commentary.

Find Reference

Use this skill when the user wants to discover where in the Jewish library something is said — they have a phrase, concept, term, theme, or partial quote, but not a citation. The goal is to return the relevant references (and short excerpts), so the user can then drill into a passage with find-text.

When to invoke

Trigger on requests like:

• "Where does the Talmud talk about lashon hara?"
• "Find sources about welcoming guests"
• "What does Sefaria say about the topic 'sabbath'?"
• "I'm looking for the verse that says 'love your neighbour as yourself'"
• "Define the term tikkun olam — show me primary sources"
• "Find passages in Mishneh Torah about repentance"

Skip when the user already names a specific reference — that's find-text.

Choosing the right search tool

Sefaria exposes several complementary search tools. Pick based on the shape of the query:

Query shape	Tool
Hebrew/Aramaic phrase, exact wording, or distinctive English keyword	text_search
English concept where the user cares about meaning, not exact wording	english_semantic_search
Searching only within one named work (e.g. "in the Mishneh Torah", "in Berakhot")	search_in_book
Defining a term or looking it up in Jastrow / Klein / other lexica	search_in_dictionaries
Browsing a known topic by slug (e.g. moses, sabbath, repentance)	get_topic_details
Validating a slug, author name, or category before searching	clarify_name_argument

For broad questions, run more than one in parallel — e.g. text_search for the Hebrew term and english_semantic_search for the concept — and merge results.

Procedure

1. Disambiguate the request. Decide whether the user wants:

   • A single source (the verse / sugya / halakha)
   • A topical survey (multiple sources across the corpus)
   • A definition (dictionary)
   • A specific work scoped (Mishneh Torah, Talmud Bavli, etc.)

2. Resolve names if needed. If the query mentions a book, topic slug, or author whose canonical Sefaria form is uncertain, call clarify_name_argument first. For book-scoped searches, you may also need clarify_search_path_filter to convert a book name into the search filter path that text_search accepts via its filters argument.

3. Hebrew vs English. Hebrew/Aramaic queries are markedly more reliable on text_search than English (translations vary). When the user gives an English concept that has a well-known Hebrew/Aramaic technical term (lashon hara, teshuvah, tzedakah, hachnasat orchim, kavod, kedushah), search the Hebrew term as well.

4. Run the search. Default size: 10 is usually fine; raise to 25–50 for topical surveys. Apply filters (e.g. ["Tanakh"], ["Talmud"], ["Halakhah"]) when the user has scoped the search.

5. Topic browsing. When the user names a recognised topic (sabbath, moses, prayer, charity), call get_topic_details with with_refs: true, with_links: true for a structured view of canonical references plus related topics. Use clarify_name_argument with type_filter: "Topic" to find the slug if the user gives a phrase.

6. Definitions. For "what does X mean" lexical questions, prefer search_in_dictionaries over text_search — it returns Jastrow / Klein / Even-Shoshan / etc. entries directly.

7. Drill down. Once you have promising hits, call get_text on the top one or two references to confirm they actually answer the user's question, before returning the list. Don't blindly trust the search snippet — translations can mislead.

Presentation

• Group results by work (Tanakh / Mishnah / Talmud / Halakha / Kabbalah / Commentary).
• For each hit, show: canonical reference, a short excerpt (Hebrew or English as appropriate), and a https://www.sefaria.org/... link.
• Lead with the strongest match (often the topic-page canonical sources), not raw search rank.
• If results are thin, say so explicitly and suggest reformulating in Hebrew or broadening the filter — don't fabricate sources.

Edge cases

• No results in English is common and usually a translation-coverage issue, not a real absence. Re-run in Hebrew.
• Apocryphal / "everyone knows the Talmud says…" quotes — many popular quotations are misattributed. If you can't find a source after a careful search, say so plainly rather than guessing.
• Ambiguous topics (e.g. "Joseph" — Joseph the patriarch? Joseph Karo? Joseph ben Matityahu?) — call clarify_name_argument and confirm with the user before committing to one branch.
• Calendar-anchored requests ("what's this week's parasha" / "what's today's daf yomi") — call get_current_calendar first to anchor, then pull the text with find-text.