torah-scholar_skill

Overview

This skill lets you search and explore Jewish texts using the Sefaria library: Torah, Tanach, Talmud, Mishnah, Midrash, Zohar, and thousands of commentaries. It supports Hebrew and English, accepts common reference formats (e.g., Genesis 1:1, Berakhot 2a, Mishnah Avot 1:1), and returns verses, translations, commentaries, cross-references, and teaching-friendly summaries. Use it to research sources, prepare divrei Torah, follow Daf Yomi, or locate thematic passages quickly.

How this skill works

The skill queries the Sefaria API to perform full-text searches, fetch verse texts (Hebrew + English when available), and retrieve linked commentaries and cross-references. Commands allow direct reference lookup, topical search, related-source discovery, weekly parsha and daily learning schedules, and automatic dvar Torah generation with suggested structure and sources. A small Python wrapper is available for programmatic access to get_text, search, get_links, and get_parsha.

When to use it

• Researching primary sources or commentaries for a sermon, shiur, or Dvar Torah
• Looking up verses or entire chapters with Hebrew and English side-by-side
• Finding classical commentaries (Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, etc.) and cross-references
• Preparing Daf Yomi or following a daily learning schedule
• Exploring thematic connections across Torah, Talmud, and later works

Best practices

• Start with a focused query or exact reference to avoid broad search noise
• Use the links command to surface major commentaries and related sources for context
• Respect Sefaria’s rate limits when running batch searches or scripted queries
• Verify sensitive halakhic conclusions by consulting original texts and qualified authorities
• Combine search, verse, and links commands to build a layered, source-driven argument

Example use cases

• Prepare a short Dvar Torah: torah parsha → torah verse <opening> → torah links <ref> → torah dvar
• Academic or pastoral research: torah search "repentance teshuvah" → review verse texts and commentaries
• Daf Yomi study: torah today → torah verse "Berakhot 2a" → torah links to see cross-references
• Thematic sermon prep: torah dvar theme "leadership" to collect verses and rabbinic perspectives
• Language study: perform Hebrew searches (e.g., "ואהבת לרעך כמוך") and compare translations