Lesson #1: What Can I Find On Sefaria? RHS 9th Grade Biblical Literature and commentary Assignment

Sefaria is a large library of interconnected texts. What does that mean? It means that you can open any book in the Jewish library with just a few clicks.

To get an overall idea of Sefaria, watch the short video below.

Clicking on any text will open a panel on the side that has links to connected texts. Click to open the connection that interest you and read it. For example, you might click on a verse in the Torah to read a commentary in the side panel. Want to see what’s connected to that text? Click on it for a new panel. Click and read, click and read. Don’t like the direction that you’re going in? Close some texts and start again. Each connection you open will give you a new path and a new opportunity for discovery.

(For each question, click on the + below it and write your answer in a comment box.

Choose a text to begin with from the library. Open it and begin clicking and reading.

There will be sources that you haven’t ever seen or heard of before, texts that you don’t understand, and texts that don’t have an English translation. Just like when you use Google, not all results are relevant to you. Feel free to ignore them and move on to the sources that interest you.

Open a 2nd sefaria tab

In a comment box below (click the plus sign and go all the way to the right), write the names of three different books that you opened that were connected to the text you chose.

Remember to click add to the sheet

The image was dowloaded from : https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/mapa-mapa-del-tesoro-tesoro-piratas-162047/

Now that you have seen some of what you can do with Sefaria, it is time for a scavenger hunt!

Open Sefaria in a new tab and find Exodus Chapter 20, verse 2.

Next, open the commentary called "Daat Zkenim" that is connected to the verse. What is the first question that he is asking?

Write it (or copy and paste it) in the comment box below.

If new texts do not open click the open button under the text.

Remember to always click add to sheet

Continuing with clicking and reading, click on the Daat Zkenim text to open the sidebar, and find the verse from Psalms that is connected to it. Write the first six words of the Psalm in the comment box below.

One text from the Talmud is connected to the verse in Psalms. Open it and write the first four words below.

For your final step, look in the midrash category for the text from Bamidbar Rabbah that is connected to the section of Talmud. Write the first three words of the text below.

What have you learned about Sefaria's library that you didn't know before?

Share at least one way that Sefaria's library of interconnected texts might help you with your learning or your classes this year.