Sefaria: A Living Library of Torah
Sefaria, founded in 2011 by journalist Joshua Foer and Brett Lockspeiser, a former product manager at Google, is a remarkable digital library of Jewish texts. Its name, derived from the Hebrew words “sefer” (book) and “sifria” (library), encapsulates its mission to be a comprehensive, accessible repository of Jewish knowledge.
The platform is designed as an open-source, free-content digital library, offering a wide array of Jewish texts in original languages like Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic, along with translations. It serves as a “living library,” relying partly on volunteers to add and translate texts. The content includes foundational Jewish texts such as the Tanakh, Talmud, Midrash, Halakhah, Kabbalah, and newer works. It also hosts philosophical and mystical sources, legal texts, liturgy, and contemporary Jewish thought.
Sefaria’s library spans a vast time period, offering texts from the time of the Second Temple to modern works, including dictionaries and encyclopedias. In terms of translations, it provides access to key works in several languages, reflecting its global reach and commitment to accessibility.
A key feature of Sefaria is its interconnectivity. Clicking on a verse in the Tanakh, for example, opens a window for related commentaries, facilitating an integrated study experience. The platform also includes a Source Sheet Builder, allowing users to create pages with source text from Sefaria, which can be shared online or downloaded as PDFs.
Over the years, Sefaria has undergone significant development. It received a major website redesign in 2016, and by 2017, it released the William Davidson Talmud, marking a significant milestone. In 2020, it began exploring applications beyond strictly religious texts. Sefaria’s impact is also evident in its reach and usage statistics. The platform hosts over 3,300 texts, totaling about 318 million words, with 75 million words in translation. It offers various Torah translations and has nearly 700,000 unique monthly users across 239 countries. This widespread use is indicative of its role in facilitating Jewish learning globally.