problem with grep

[Thomas Joseph]

Hi  All,   My system is RH7.1 on Intel.   When I do a grep on a directory that contains 12,000 plus files, (and no subdirectories)the system gives the following error:   bash:/bin/grep: Argument list too long   Could any of you please tell me what is the maximum files that can be  in a directory for grep to work?   Is there a way to overcome this limitation ?   TIA   Thomas Joseph Spectrum Software Solutions. Liverpool, NY 13088