Bar Ilan Responsa Project
Encyclopedia
The Bar Ilan Responsa Project (the Global Jewish Database) is a collection of Jewish texts in Hebrew, released on CD by the Bar-Ilan University
(in Ramat Gan, Israel
).
It includes numerous works from the Responsa Literature
(rabbinic case-law rulings).
The database also includes the Bible
and the Talmud
(with commentaries); articles about Jewish law and customs; Maimonides
' Mishneh Torah
and the Shulchan Aruch
with main commentaries; Zohar
, Midrashim, and the Talmudic Encyclopedia.
Today the Responsa Project CD-ROM contains more than 90,000 Responsa and more than 420,000 hypertext links between the databases totalling 200 million words.
Search for a word phrase or expression in relevant texts, search for a wide collection of variant forms specify combined search components etc.
Using the hypertext links to locate and display related sources spanning thousands of years.
Save search results and other texts in order to view them or print them later with a word processor or use them in other searches.
Display biographies of hundreds of responsa authors and other Talmudic and post-Talmudic scholars from medieval times to the present.
Calculate the numerical value (gematria) of any expression and find biblical verses or expressions with any specified gematria.
Compare parallel Talmudic and other texts.
Look up abbreviations in an online dictionary.
Display Torah texts that are mentioned by other Talmudic texts with the click of a mouse (hypertext).
Search for vocalized text (Nikud) in Tanach.
Personal notes and links on the text.
Display texts by manually typing in the reference of the desired text.
Display text of the Torah and commentaries according to the weekly Torah portion.
Display interface in the following languages: in Hebrew (where Windows has Hebrew support), English and French. All texts are in Hebrew.
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
(in Ramat Gan, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
).
Background
The database consists of the world's largest electronic collection of Jewish texts in Hebrew.It includes numerous works from the Responsa Literature
History of Responsa
History of responsa in Judaism spans a period of 1,700 years. Responsa constitute a special class of rabbinic literature, differing in form, but not necessarily in content, from Rabbinic commentaries devoted to the exegesis of the Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud, and halakha...
(rabbinic case-law rulings).
The database also includes the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
(with commentaries); articles about Jewish law and customs; Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
' Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
and the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
with main commentaries; Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, Midrashim, and the Talmudic Encyclopedia.
Today the Responsa Project CD-ROM contains more than 90,000 Responsa and more than 420,000 hypertext links between the databases totalling 200 million words.
Features
The Features of Bar Ilan Responsa (Version 17 plus) include:Search for a word phrase or expression in relevant texts, search for a wide collection of variant forms specify combined search components etc.
Using the hypertext links to locate and display related sources spanning thousands of years.
Save search results and other texts in order to view them or print them later with a word processor or use them in other searches.
Display biographies of hundreds of responsa authors and other Talmudic and post-Talmudic scholars from medieval times to the present.
Calculate the numerical value (gematria) of any expression and find biblical verses or expressions with any specified gematria.
Compare parallel Talmudic and other texts.
Look up abbreviations in an online dictionary.
Display Torah texts that are mentioned by other Talmudic texts with the click of a mouse (hypertext).
Search for vocalized text (Nikud) in Tanach.
Personal notes and links on the text.
Display texts by manually typing in the reference of the desired text.
Display text of the Torah and commentaries according to the weekly Torah portion.
Display interface in the following languages: in Hebrew (where Windows has Hebrew support), English and French. All texts are in Hebrew.
History of the database
- 1992 Version 1 released.
- 1995 Version 4 released.
- 1998 Version 6 released.
- 2003 Version 10 released.
- 2004 Version 12 released.
- 2007 Version 14 released.
- 2008 Version 16 released.
- 2009 Version 17 released.