find-reference

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.