that fell

<<from two —

<<he is obligated

<<to return it.

<<What is the reason?

<<That one

<<from whom it fell

<<from him

<<did not

<<despair;

<<saying

<<he says:

<<now,

<<a person

<<another

<<was not

<<present

<<with me

<<except

<<this one;

<<I will seize

<<him

<<and say

<<to him:

<<you

<<are the one

<<who took it.

With three

<<he is not

<<obligated

<<to return it.

<<What is the reason?

<<That one

<<from whom it fell

<<from him

<<certainly

<<despaired;

<<saying

<<he says:

<<now,

<<two

<<were

<<with me;

<<if

<<I seize

<<this one

<<he will say:

<<“I did not

<<take it”,

<<and if

<<I seize

<<this one

<<he will say:

<<“I did not

<<take it”.

Rava said:

<<this

<<that you said,

<<with three

<<he is not

<<obligated

<<to return it —

<<we said it only

<<except

<<where there is not

<<in it

<<the value of

<<a perutah

<<for each

<<one

<<and one;

<<but

<<if there is

<<in it

<<the value of

<<a perutah

<<for each

<<one

<<and one —

<<he is obligated

<<to return it.

<<What is the reason?

<<Say

<<partners

<<they are

<<and they did not

<<despair.

There are who say:

<<Rava said:

<<even though

<<there is not

<<in it

<<but

<<the value of

<<two

<<perutos —

<<he is obligated

<<to return it.

<<What is the reason?

<<Say

<<partners

<<they are

<<and one

<<of them

<<forgoing

<<forgave

<<his share

<<to

<<his fellow.

And Rava said:

<<if he saw

<<a sela

<<that fell,

<<and took it

<<before

<<despair

<<in order

<<to steal it —

<<he transgresses

<<all of them:

<<on account of

<<“you shall not

<<steal”,

<<and on account of

<<“you shall surely

<<return them”,

<<and on account of

<<“you may not

<<be able

<<to ignore”.

<<And even though

<<(she returned it)

<<[he returned it]

<<after

<<despair —

<<a gift

<<it is

<<that he gives

<<to him,

<<and the prohibition

<<that he did

<<he did.

If he took it

<<before

<<despair

<<in order

<<to return it,

<<and after

<<despair

<<he intended

<<to steal it —

<<he transgresses

<<on account of

<<“you shall surely

<<return them”.

If he waited

<<for it

<<until

<<despaired

<<the owners

<<and then took it —

<<he does not

<<transgress

<<except

<<on account of

<<“you may not

<<be able

<<to ignore”

<<alone.

Rava said:

<<this

<<one

<<who sees

<<that fell

<<coins

<<from his fellow

<<in the sand,

<<and he found it

<<and took it —

<<he is not

<<obligated

<<to return it

<<to him.

<<What is the reason?

<<That one

<<from whom it fell

<<from him

<<despaired

<<he has.

<<Even though

<<he saw him

<<that he brought

<<a sieve

<<and was sifting —

<<saying

<<he says:

<<just as

<<fell

<<from me

<<mine,

<<so

<<fell

<<from a person

<<another

<<and I shall find

<<something.

MISHNAH:

<<if he found

<<in a shop —

<<these

<<are his;

<<between

<<the box

<<and the shopkeeper —

<<it is

<<the shopkeeper's;

<<before

<<a money-changer —

<<these

<<are his;

<<between

<<the chair

<<and the money-changer —

<<these

<<are

<<the money-changer's.

One who buys

<<produce

<<from his fellow,

<<or

<<that sent

<<to him

<<his fellow

<<produce,

<<and he found

<<in them

<<money —

<<these

<<are his.

<<If

<<they were

<<bundled

<<he takes

<<and announces.

GEMARA:

<<Rabbi Elazar said:

<<even

<<if they lie

<<upon

<<the table.

We learned:

<<before

<<a money-changer —

<<these

<<are his;

<<But

<<upon

<<the table

<<it is the money-changer's!

<<Say

<<the latter clause:

<<between

<<the chair

<<and the money-changer —

<<it is

<<the money-changer's!

<<But

<<upon

<<the table

<<it is his.

<<Rather,

<<from this

<<there is nothing

<<to be learned

<<from it.

And Rabbi Elazar —

<<this,

<<from where does he have it?

<<Rava said:

<<our Mishnah

<<was difficult for him:

<<what

<<is the relevance of

<<that it teaches

<<“between

<<the chair

<<and the money-changer

<<it is

<<the money-changer's”?

<<Let it teach

<<“upon

<<the table”,

<<or also:

<<“if he found

<<among the money-changers”,

<<as it teaches

<<in the first clause

<<“if he found

<<in a shop

<<it is his”.

<<Rather,

<<learn from it:

<<even

<<if they lie

<<upon

<<the table —

<<these

<<are his.

“One who buys

<<produce

<<from his fellow”

<<etc.

<<Reish Lakish said

<<in the name of

<<Rabbi Yannai:

<<they taught it only

<<where