Before accessing the excerpts, please review a word about copyright.

Are you more of an "I'll dive right in and figure it out" person, or a "Show Me How This Thing Works" person?  If the former, go right ahead and try the search box ...  although we still suggest first reading the following paragraph and the basic and "additional" instructions.  These should save you time and produce better results right away.  If you are the latter, click here for a demonstration video of the Search Engine.  It includes sample search queries, suggested strategies to improve results, and mentions most of the written instructions that appear below.  Either way (or both), enjoy! 

1. The Search Engine searches for all words (or stems) in the search query, and returns excerpts in overall relevancy order as determined by computer algorithm (including some excerpts that may not include all words/stems in query; thus, searches automatically function as a hybrid "and" and "or". 

2.  To require a word (or stem) to be in search results, insert a + symbol immediately before it.  To exclude a word or stem from search results, insert a - symbol immediately before it.   

3. To limit search results to exact word(s) or phrase(s), enclose within quotation marks.

4. For broadest keyword search results, use partial words or word stems followed and/or preceded immediately by an asterisk.  E.g., *sist*  finds sister, consistent, subsist, etc.  Abort*  finds abort, aborts, aborted, and abortion.  [Note: Default wildcard searching as described in the video is currently turned off]. 

5. Search queries are not case sensitive.

6.  For words (including titles of Talmud tractates) transliterated from Hebrew and/or Aramaic, include alternative English spellings.  For suggestions and related techniques, see "Additional Search Notes," below. 

7. To search a Torah verse by number, separate the chapter and verse with a colon and use quotation marks, e.g. "Leviticus 19:18" or "19:18".

8. To locate/highlight searched words within a results display and/or excerpt, use your device's "find" function.

9. Wherever the author has spelled out the name of the Divinity, the compiler has changed it to “G-d” and/or "L-rd."  Use the hyphenated spelling in searches including those words.

10. Search results can be displayed in either relevancy or Torah order.