there shall not

<<be

<<among you

<<a poor man” —

<<your own

<<takes precedence

<<over that of

<<any

<<person;

Rather,

<<for an elder

<<and it is not

<<according to

<<his honor.

Rabbah said:

<<if he struck it

<<he is liable

<<for it.

<<Abaye

<<was

<<sitting

<<before

<<Rabbah;

<<he saw

<<those

<<goats

<<that were standing,

<<took

<<a clod

<<and threw it

<<at them.

<<He said to him:

<<you have become liable

<<for them;

<<get up

<<and return them.

It was asked of them:

<<it is his way

<<to return it

<<in the field,

<<but it is not

<<his way

<<to return it

<<in the city —

<<what is it?

<<Do

<<we say

<<a proper return

<<of the highest kind

<<we require,

<<and since

<<it is not

<<his way

<<to return it

<<in the city

<<he is not

<<liable?

<<Or

<<perhaps

<<in the field

<<at any rate

<<it is

<<that he became liable

<<for it,

<<and since

<<he became liable

<<for it

<<in the field

<<he is liable

<<for it

<<in the city?

<<Let it stand.

Rava said:

<<anything

<<that with his own

<<he would return,

<<with that of

<<his fellow

<<too

<<he returns;

<<and anything

<<that with his own

<<he would unload

<<and load,

<<with that of

<<his fellow

<<too

<<he unloads

<<and loads.

Rabbi Yishmael beRabbi Yosei

<<was

<<going

<<on the road;

<<met

<<him

<<a certain

<<man

<<who was

<<carrying

<<a bundle

<<of branches.

<<He set them down

<<and was resting.

<<He said to him:

<<lift them

<<for me.

<<He said to him:

<<how much

<<are they worth?

<<He said to him:

<<half

<<a zuz.

<<He gave

<<him

<<half

<<a zuz

<<and declared them ownerless.

He again

<<acquired

<<them;

<<he again

<<gave

<<him

<<half

<<a zuz

<<and declared them ownerless.

<<He saw him

<<that he was

<<wanting

<<to go back

<<and acquire

<<them.

<<He said to him:

<<to everyone

<<I declared them ownerless,

<<but to you

<<I did not

<<declare them ownerless.

And is

<<it

<<ownerless

<<in

<<such

<<a manner?

<<But we learned:

<<Beis Shammai

<<say:

<<declaring ownerless

<<for the poor

<<is ownerless;

<<and Beis Hillel

<<say:

<<it is not

<<ownerless

<<until

<<it be

<<ownerless

<<for the poor

<<and for the rich,

<<like the Sabbatical year.

Rather,

<<Rabbi Yishmael beRabbi Yosei

<<to everyone

<<declared them ownerless,

<<and with a mere word

<<only

<<it is

<<that he put him off.

But

<<Rabbi Yishmael beRabbi Yosei

<<an elder

<<and it was not

<<according to

<<his honor

<<he was!

<<Rabbi Yishmael beRabbi Yosei

<<beyond the letter of the law

<<it is

<<that he acted.

For taught

<<Rav Yosef:

<<“and you shall make known

<<to them” —

<<this is

<<their house of

<<livelihood;

<<“the

<<way” —

<<this is

<<acts of

<<kindness;

<<“in which

<<they shall walk” —

<<this is

<<visiting

<<the sick;

<<“in it” —

<<this is

<<burial;

<<“and the

<<deed” —

<<this is

<<the law;

<<“which

<<they shall do” —

<<this is

<<beyond the letter of the law.

Said

<<the master:

<<“which

<<they shall walk” —

<<this is

<<visiting

<<the sick;

<<that is the same as

<<acts of

<<kindness!

<<It is not

<<needed

<<except

<<for one born under his star,

<<for said

<<the master:

<<one born under his star

<<takes

<<one

<<sixtieth

<<of his illness;

<<and even

<<so

<<he must

<<go

<<to him.

“In it” —

<<this is

<<burial.

<<That is the same as

<<acts of

<<kindness!

<<It is not

<<needed

<<except

<<for an elder

<<and it is not

<<according to

<<his honor.

“Which

<<they shall do” —

<<this is

<<beyond the letter of the law,

<<for Rabbi Yochanan said:

<<was not

<<destroyed

<<Jerusalem

<<except

<<because

<<they judged

<<in it

<<the law of

<<the Torah.

<<Rather,

<<the laws of

<<the Magiza

<<should they have judged?!

<<Rather,

<<say:

<<that they established

<<their rulings

<<upon

<<the law of

<<the Torah

<<and did not

<<act

<<beyond the letter of the law.

MISHNAH:

<<which

<<is

<<a lost object?

<<If he found

<<a donkey

<<or

<<a cow

<<grazing

<<on the road —

<<this is not

<<a lost object.

<<A donkey

<<with its utensils

<<overturned,

<<a cow

<<that ran

<<among

<<the vineyards —

<<this

<<is a lost object.

<<If he returned it

<<and it fled,

<<returned it

<<and it fled —

<<even

<<four

<<or five

<<times

<<he is obligated

<<to return it,

<<for it is said:

<<“you shall surely

<<return them”.

If he was

<<idle

<<from a sela —

<<he may not

<<say

<<to him:

<<give

<<me

<<a sela,

<<but

<<he gives

<<him

<<his wage

<<as a laborer.

<<If

<<there is

<<there

<<a court

<<he stipulates

<<before

<<a court;

<<if

<<there is not

<<there

<<a court —

<<before

<<whom

<<shall he stipulate?

<<His own

<<takes precedence.

GEMARA:

<<is it so that

<<all

<<these

<<that we said

<<are not

<<a lost object

<<they are?

<<Rav Yehuda said,

<<thus

<<it says:

<<which

<<is

<<the general rule of

<<a lost object

<<for which he

<<is liable

<<for it?

<<If he found

<<a donkey

<<or a cow

<<grazing

<<on the road —

<<this is not

<<a lost object

<<and he is not

<<liable

<<for it.

<<A donkey

<<with its utensils

<<overturned,

<<a cow

<<and it ran

<<among

<<the vineyards —

<<this

<<is a lost object

<<and he is liable

<<for it.

And forever?!

<<Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:

<<until

<<three

<<days.

<<What is the case?

<<If

<<at night —

<<even

<<one

<<hour

<<also;

<<if

<<by day —

<<even

<<much

<<also

<<not!

It is not

<<necessary

<<except where he was

<<seeing

<<it

<<in the morning

<<and in the evening:

<<three

<<days

<<we say:

<<by chance

<<it happened

<<to it

<<and it went out;

<<more —

<<certainly

<<a lost object

<<it is.

It was also taught so:

<<if he found

<<a cloak

<<or an axe