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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Monday, Tammuz 9, 5777 · July 3, 2017Torah ReadingBalak: Numbers 22:2-12
Numbers 22:2 Now Balak the son of Tzippor saw all that Isra’el had done to the Emori. 3 Mo’av was very afraid of the people, because there were so many of them; Mo’av was overcome with dread because of the people of Isra’el. 4 So Mo’av said to the leaders of Midyan, “This horde will lick up everything around us, the way an ox licks up grass in the field.”
Balak the son of Tzippor was king of Mo’av at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Bil‘am the son of B‘or, at P’tor by the [Euphrates] River in his native land, to tell him, “Listen, a people has come out of Egypt, spread over all the land and settled down next to me. 6 Therefore, please come, and curse this people for me, because they are stronger than I am. Maybe I will be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, for I know that whomever you bless is in fact blessed, and whomever you curse is in fact cursed.” 7 The leaders of Mo’av and Midyan left, taking with them the payment for divining, came to Bil‘am and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 He said to them, “Stay here tonight, and I will bring you back whatever answer Adonai tells me.” So the princes of Mo’av stayed with Bil‘am.
9 God came to Bil‘am and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Bil‘am said to God, “Balak the son of Tzippor, king of Mo’av, has sent me this message: 11 ‘The people who came out of Egypt have spread over the land; now, come and curse them for me; maybe I will be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God answered Bil‘am, “You are not to go with them; you are not to curse the people, because they are blessed.”
Today in Jewish History:
• Jerusalem Walls Breached (423 BCE)
The Babylonian armies of King Nebuchadnezzar breached the walls of Jerusalem on the 9th of Tammuz in the year 3338 from creation (423 BCE); King Ziddikiahu of Judah was captured and taken to Babylon (Jeremiah 39:5. A month later, the capture of Jerusalem was completed with the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of all but a small number of Jews to Babylon). Tammuz 9 was observed as a fast day until the second breaching of Jerusalem's walls (by the Romans) on the 17th of Tammuz, 3829 (69 CE), at which time the fast was moved to that date. (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah and Tur Orach Chaim 549)
Links:
thethreeweeks.com
The Destruction
Daily Quote:
• Jerusalem Walls Breached (423 BCE)
The Babylonian armies of King Nebuchadnezzar breached the walls of Jerusalem on the 9th of Tammuz in the year 3338 from creation (423 BCE); King Ziddikiahu of Judah was captured and taken to Babylon (Jeremiah 39:5. A month later, the capture of Jerusalem was completed with the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of all but a small number of Jews to Babylon). Tammuz 9 was observed as a fast day until the second breaching of Jerusalem's walls (by the Romans) on the 17th of Tammuz, 3829 (69 CE), at which time the fast was moved to that date. (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah and Tur Orach Chaim 549)
Links:
thethreeweeks.com
The Destruction
Daily Quote:
Even when I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me [Psalms 23:4
Daily Torah Study:
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: with Rashi
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Monday, Tammuz 9, 5777 · July 3, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Igeret HaTeshuva , Chapter 2
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• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Today's Mitzvah
Monday, Tammuz 9, 5777 · July 3, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Positive Commandment 194
Returning a Stolen Item
"He shall return that which he stole"—Leviticus 5:23.
It is a mitzvah for a thief to return stolen property to its owner. (If the thief denied his crime and falsely swears as to his innocence, he is required to repay the principal plus 25%.)
The obligation to return the actual stolen item only applies if the object has not been substantially altered. If it has, then the thief must make restitution by giving the owner the monetary value of the stolen object.
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Numbers Chapter 22
13When Balaam arose in the morning, he said to Balak's nobles, "Return to your country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you." יג וַיָּ֤קָם בִּלְעָם֙ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־שָׂרֵ֣י בָלָ֔ק לְכ֖וּ אֶל־אַרְצְכֶ֑ם כִּ֚י מֵאֵ֣ן יְהֹוָ֔ה לְתִתִּ֖י לַֽהֲלֹ֥ךְ עִמָּכֶֽם:
to go with you: Only with greater nobles than you. This shows us that he was conceited and unwilling to reveal that he was under the control of the Omnipresent except in an arrogant manner. Therefore, “But Balak sent… again…” (verse 15) - [Mid. Tanchuma Balak 6, Balak Num. Rabbah 20:10]
להלך עמכם: אלא עם שרים גדולים מכם. למדנו שרוחו גבוהה ולא רצה לגלות שהוא ברשותו של מקום אלא בלשון גסות, לפיכך ויוסף עוד בלק:
14Moab's nobles arose and came to Balak and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us." ידוַיָּק֨וּמוּ֙ שָׂרֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אֶל־בָּלָ֑ק וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מֵאֵ֥ן בִּלְעָ֖ם הֲלֹ֥ךְ עִמָּֽנוּ:
15So Balak continued to send dignitaries, more and higher in rank than these. טווַיֹּ֥סֶף ע֖וֹד בָּלָ֑ק שְׁלֹ֣חַ שָׂרִ֔ים רַבִּ֥ים וְנִכְבָּדִ֖ים מֵאֵֽלֶּה:
16They came to Balaam and said to him, "So said Balak the son of Zippor, 'Please do not hesitate to come to me. טזוַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אֶל־בִּלְעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ ל֗וֹ כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ בָּלָ֣ק בֶּן־צִפּ֔וֹר אַל־נָ֥א תִמָּנַ֖ע מֵֽהֲלֹ֥ךְ אֵלָֽי:
17For I will honor you greatly and do whatever you tell me to do. So please come and curse this people for me.'" יזכִּֽי־כַבֵּ֤ד אֲכַבֶּדְךָ֙ מְאֹ֔ד וְכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאמַ֥ר אֵלַ֖י אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֑ה וּלְכָה־נָּא֙ קָֽבָה־לִּ֔י אֵ֖ת הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּֽה:
For I will honor you greatly: I will give you more than you have ever received in the past. — [Mid. Tanchuma Balak 6, Num. Rabbah 20:10]
כי כבד אכבדך מאד: יותר ממה שהיית נוטל לשעבר אני נותן לך:
18Balaam answered and said to Balak's servants, "Even if Balak gives me a house full of silver and gold, I cannot do anything small or great that would transgress the word of the Lord, my God. יחוַיַּ֣עַן בִּלְעָ֗ם וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־עַבְדֵ֣י בָלָ֔ק אִם־יִתֶּן־לִ֥י בָלָ֛ק מְלֹ֥א בֵית֖וֹ כֶּ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֑ב לֹ֣א אוּכַ֗ל לַֽעֲבֹר֙ אֶת־פִּ֨י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י לַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת קְטַנָּ֖ה א֥וֹ גְדוֹלָֽה:
a house full of silver and gold: This shows us that he was greedy and coveted other people’s money. He said, “He ought to give me all his silver and gold, since he has to hire many armies, and even then, it is questionable whether he will be victorious or not, whereas I will certainly succeed.”- [Mid. Tanchuma Balak; Num. Rabbah 20:10]
מלא ביתו כסף וזהב: למדנו שנפשו רחבה ומחמד ממון אחרים. אמר, ראוי לו ליתן לי כל כסף וזהב שלו, שהרי צריך לשכור חיילות רבות, ספק נוצח ספק אינו נוצח, ואני ודאי נוצח:
I cannot… transgress: He unwillingly admitted that he was under the control of others. Here he prophesied that he could not annul the blessings with which the patriarchs had been blessed by the mouth of the Divine Presence. — [Mid. Tanchuma Balak 6, Num. Rabbah 20:10]
לא אוכל לעבור: על כרחו גלה שהוא ברשות אחרים, ונתנבא כאן שאינו יכול לבטל הברכות שנתברכו האבות מפי השכינה:
19Now, you too, please remain here overnight, and I will know what the Lord will continue to speak with me." יטוְעַתָּ֗ה שְׁב֨וּ נָ֥א בָזֶ֛ה גַּם־אַתֶּ֖ם הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְאֵ֣דְעָ֔ה מַה־יֹּסֵ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה דַּבֵּ֥ר עִמִּֽי:
you too: His mouth tripped him up [into telling them the truth]: You too, will end up leaving disappointed like the first group. — [Mid. Tanchuma Balak 6, Num. Rabbah 20:10]
גם אתם: פיו הכשילו, גם אתם סופכם לילך בפחי נפש כראשונים:
what [the Lord] will continue: He will not change His mind from a blessing to a curse, but if only He does not continue to bless [them]! Here he prophesied that He [God] would add to their blessings through him. — [See Mid. Tanchuma Balak 6, Num. Rabbah 20:10]
מה יסף: לא ישנה דבריו מברכה לקללה הלואי שלא יוסיף לברך, כאן נתנבא שעתיד להוסיף להם ברכות על ידו:
20God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If these men have come to call for you, arise and go with them, but the word I speak to you-that you shall do." כוַיָּבֹ֨א אֱלֹהִ֥ים | אֶל־בִּלְעָם֘ לַ֒יְלָה֒ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ אִם־לִקְרֹ֤א לְךָ֙ בָּ֣אוּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים ק֖וּם לֵ֣ךְ אִתָּ֑ם וְאַ֗ךְ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־אֲדַבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ אֹת֥וֹ תַֽעֲשֶֽׂה:
If these men have come to call for you: If the calling is for you, and you expect payment for it, arise and go with them.
אם לקרא לך: אם הקריאה שלך וסבור אתה ליטול עליה שכר, קום לך אתם:
but: In spite of yourself, “the word I speak to you-that you shall do.” Nevertheless, “Balaam went.” He said, Perhaps I can persuade Him and He will consent [to my cursing them].
ואך: על כרחך את הדבר אשר אדבר אליך אותו תעשה, ואעפ"כ וילך בלעם, אמר שמא אפתנו ויתרצה:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 49 - 54• Hebrew text
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Chapter 49
This psalm is a strong message and inspiration for all, rich and poor alike, rebuking man for transgressions which, owing to habit, he no longer considers sinful; yet, these sins incriminate man on the Day of Judgement. The psalm speaks specifically to the wealthy, who rely not on God but on their wealth.
1. For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, a psalm.
2. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all you inhabitants of the world;
3. sons of common folk and sons of nobility, rich and poor alike.
4. My mouth speaks wisdom, and the thoughts of my heart are understanding.
5. I incline my ear to the parable; I will unravel my riddle upon the harp.
6. Why am I afraid in times of trouble? [Because] the sins I trod upon surround me.
7. There are those who rely on their wealth, who boast of their great riches.
8. Yet a man cannot redeem his brother, nor pay his ransom to God.
9. The redemption of their soul is too costly, and forever unattainable.
10. Can one live forever, never to see the grave?
11. Though he sees that wise men die, that the fool and the senseless both perish, leaving their wealth to others-
12. [nevertheless,] in their inner thoughts their houses will last forever, their dwellings for generation after generation; they have proclaimed their names throughout the lands.
13. But man will not repose in glory; he is likened to the silenced animals.
14. This is their way-their folly remains with them, and their descendants approve of their talk, Selah.
15. Like sheep, they are destined for the grave; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright will dominate them at morning; their form will rot in the grave, away from its abode.
16. But God will redeem my soul from the hands of the grave, for He will take me, Selah.
17. Do not fear when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
18. for when he dies he will take nothing, his glory will not descend after him.
19. For he [alone] praises himself in his lifetime; but [all] will praise you if you better yourself.
20. He will come to the generation of his forefathers; they shall not see light for all eternity.
21. Man [can live] in glory but does not understand; he is likened to the silenced animals.
Chapter 50
This psalm speaks of many ethics and morals. The psalmist rebukes those who fail to repent humbly and modestly. He also admonishes those who do not practice that which they study, and merely appear to be righteous; they sin and cause others to sin.
1. A psalm by Asaph. Almighty God, the Lord, spoke and called to the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2. Out of Zion, the place of perfect beauty, God appeared.
3. Our God will come and not be silent; a fire will consume before Him, His surroundings are furiously turbulent.
4. He will call to the heavens above, and to the earth, to avenge His people:
5. "Gather to Me My pious ones, those who made a covenant with me over a sacrifice.”
6. Then the heavens declared His righteousness, for God is Judge forever.
7. Listen, my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you-I am God your God.
8. Not for [the lack of] your sacrifices will I rebuke you, nor for [the lack of] your burnt offerings which ought to be continually before Me.
9. I do not take oxen from your house, nor goats from your pens;
10. for every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle of a thousand mountains.
11. I know every bird of the mountains, and the crawling creatures of the field are in My possession.
12. Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine.
13. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14. Offer confession as a sacrifice to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15. and call to Me on the day of distress; I will free you, and you will honor Me.
16. But to the wicked, God said, "What does it help you to discuss My laws, and bear My covenant upon your lips?
17. For you hate discipline, and throw My words behind you.
18. When you see a thief you run with him, and your lot is with adulterers.
19. You sent forth your mouth for evil, and attach your tongue to deceit.
20. You sit down to talk against your brother; your mother's son you defame.
21. You have done these things and I kept silent, so you imagine that I am like you-[but] I will rebuke you and lay it clearly before your eyes.
22. Understand this now, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart and there be none to save you.
23. He who offers a sacrifice of confession honors Me; and to him who sets right his way, I will show the deliverance of God."
Chapter 51
This psalm speaks of when Nathan the prophet went to David's palace, and rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba. David then secluded himself with God, offering awe-inspiring prayers and begging forgiveness. Every person should recite this psalm for his sins and transgressions.
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David,
2. when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.
3. Be gracious to me, O God, in keeping with Your kindness; in accordance with Your abounding compassion, erase my transgressions.
4. Cleanse me thoroughly of my wrongdoing, and purify me of my sin.
5. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
6. Against You alone have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Your eyes; [forgive me] so that You will be justified in Your verdict, vindicated in Your judgment.
7. Indeed, I was begotten in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
8. Indeed, You desire truth in the innermost parts; teach me the wisdom of concealed things.
9. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be pure; cleanse me and I shall be whiter than snow.
10. Let me hear [tidings of] joy and gladness; then the bones which You have shattered will rejoice.
11. Hide Your face from my sins, and erase all my trespasses.
12. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew within me an upright spirit.
13. Do not cast me out of Your presence, and do not take Your Spirit of Holiness away from me.
14. Restore to me the joy of Your deliverance, and uphold me with a spirit of magnanimity.
15. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
16. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, God of my deliverance; my tongue will sing Your righteousness.
17. My Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.
18. For You do not desire that I bring sacrifices, nor do You wish burnt offerings.
19. The offering [desirable] to God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and broken heart, God, You do not disdain.
20. In Your goodwill, bestow goodness upon Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
21. Then will You desire sacrifices [offered in] righteousness, olah and other burnt offerings; then they will offer bullocks upon Your altar.
Chapter 52
David laments his suffering at the hands of Doeg, and speaks of Doeg's boasts about the evil he committed. David asks, "What does he think? Does he consider the doing of evil a mark of strength?" David also curses Doeg and those like him.
1. For the Conductor, a maskil by David,
2. when Doeg the Edomite came and informed Saul, saying to him, "David has come to the house of Achimelech.”
3. Why do you boast with evil, O mighty one? God's kindness is all day long.
4. Your tongue devises treachery; like a sharpened razor it works deceit.
5. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking righteousness, Selah.
6. You love all devouring words, a deceitful tongue.
7. God will likewise shatter you forever; He will excise and pluck you from the tent, and uproot you from the land of the living forever.
8. The righteous will see it and be awed, and they will laugh at him:
9. "Here is the man who did not make God his stronghold, but trusted in his great wealth, and drew strength from his treachery.”
10. But I am like a fresh olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God's kindness forever and ever.
11. I will thank you forever for what You have done; I will hope in Your Name, for You are good to Your pious ones.
Chapter 53
This psalm speaks of when Titus pierced the curtain of the Holy of Holies with his sword, and thought he had killed "himself" (a euphemism for God).
1. For the Conductor, on the machalat,1 a mas-kil2 by David.
2. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God!" They have acted corruptly and committed abominable deeds; not one does good.
3. God looked down from heaven upon mankind, to see if there was any man of intelligence who searches for God.
4. But they all regressed together; they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
5. Indeed, the evildoers who devour My people as they devour bread, who do not call upon God, will come to realize.
6. There they will be seized with fright, a fright such as never was; for God scatters the bones of those encamped against you. You shamed them, for God rejected them.
7. O that out of Zion would come Israel's deliverance! When God returns the captivity of His people, Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument (Rashi).
2.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Chapter 54
A prayer to God asking that in His might He save all who hope for His kindness. Read, and you will discover an awe-inspiring and wondrous prayer that should be said by all in the appropriate time.
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a maskil by David,
2. when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, "Behold, David is hiding among us!”
3. O God, deliver me by Your Name, and vindicate me by Your might.
4. God, hear my prayer, listen to the words of my mouth.
5. For strangers have risen against me, and ruthless men have sought my soul; they are not mindful of God, Selah.
6. Behold, God is my helper; my Lord is with those who support my soul.
7. He will repay the evil of my watchful enemies; destroy them by Your truth.
8. With a free-will offering I will sacrifice to You; I will offer thanks to Your Name, O Lord, for it is good.
9. For He has saved me from every trouble, and my eye has seen [the downfall of] my enemy.
Tanya: Igeret HaTeshuva , Chapter 2• English Text (Lessons in Tanya)
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Monday, Tammuz 9, 5777 · July 3, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Igeret HaTeshuva , Chapter 2
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Repentance, as the Alter Rebbe explained in the opening chapter, is in no way synonymous with fasting for a sin that one has committed; repentance merely entails abandoning the sin for all time. This is so even with regard to transgressions — those punishable by excision or by execution — whose atonement becomes complete through suffering. Even in these instances the suffering is not intended to be self-inflicted through fasting, but is brought on from Above.
אך כל זה לענין כפרה ומחילת העון, שנמחל לו לגמרי מה שעבר על מצות המלך כשעשה תשובה שלמה
However, all this refers to atonement and forgiveness of the sin — [the offender] is pardoned completely for having violated the command of the King once he has repented fully.
Atonement and forgiveness thus do not require fasting. If the individual repents fully:
ואין מזכירין לו דבר וחצי דבר ביום הדין, לענשו על זה חס ושלום בעולם הבא, ונפטר לגמרי מן הדין בעולם הבא
No charge nor semblance of an accusation is mentioned against him on the day of judgment so that he should be punished for his sin, G‑d forbid, in the World to Come; in his trial there he is completely exonerated.
אמנם שיהיה לרצון לפני ה׳, ומרוצה וחביב לפניו יתברך כקודם החטא, להיות נחת רוח לקונו מעבודתו, היה צריך להביא קרבן עולה
Nonetheless, in order that he should be acceptable before G‑d, as beloved of Him as before the sin, so that his Creator might derive delight from his service, — [in past times] he would bring an olah offering,1 in addition to his repentance,
אפילו על מצות עשה קלה שאין בה כרת ומיתת בית דין
even for [transgressing] an ordinary positive commandment that involves no excision or execution.
כמו שדרשו רז״ל בתורת כהנים על פסוק: ונרצה לו
In this spirit our Sages in Torat Kohanim interpret the verse,2 “It shall be acceptable for him,” — that the olah offering causes a person who violated a positive command to become acceptable to G‑d.
וכדאיתא בגמרא פרק קמא דזבחים, דעולה מכפרת על מצות עשה, והיא דורון לאחר שעשה תשובה ונמחל לו העונש
Thus too we find in the Talmud, in the first chapter of Zevachim,3 that the olah offering atones for [the violation of] positive commandments; it is a “gift” [that is offered] after one has repented and been pardoned his punishment.
וכאדם שסרח במלך ופייסו על ידי פרקליטין, ומחל לו
This is like the case of a man who displeased his king, appeased him through intercessors, and was forgiven by him;
אף על פי כן שולח דורון ומנחה לפניו, שיתרצה לו לראות פני המלך
still he will send a gift, so that the king might consent that he appear again before his sovereign.
The olah offering was similarly brought as a gift to G‑d after the offender had repented and had been granted a pardon, in order that he once again find favor in His eyes, and be beloved by Him as before the sin.
ולשון מכפרת, וכן מה שכתוב בתורה: ונרצה לו לכפר עליו
(4The expression “atones” quoted from the Talmud, and in the verse,5 “It shall be acceptable for him, to atone for him,”
אין זו כפרת נפשו
does not refer to the soul’s atonement for the sin, for this is accomplished through repentance,
אלא לכפר לפני ה׳, להיות נחת רוח לקונו
but rather (so to speak) his restoration before G‑d, so that he will bring his Creator gratification; no vestige of the sin will remain, and the former offender will be beloved of G‑d as before,
כדאיתא שם בגמרא
as the Talmud teaches there — that once the person has been pardoned, then comes the gift of the olahoffering,
וכמו שכתוב: תמים יהיה לרצון
and as the verse states:6 “It shall be perfect, so that it be acceptable.”)
ועכשיו שאין לנו קרבן להפיק רצון מה׳, התענית הוא במקום קרבן, כמו שכתוב בגמרא: שיהא מיעוט חלבי ודמי שנתמעט כאלו הקרבתי לפניך כו׳
Today, when we have no offerings to call forth G‑d’s pleasure, fasting replaces the offering. As the Talmud says, that the prayer of one who is fasting is:7 “May my loss of fat and blood brought about through fasting be regarded as though I had offered it to You [as a sacrifice on the altar].”
The purpose of fasting, then, is that one become acceptable to G‑d just as before the sin.
ולכן מצינו בכמה תנאים ואמוראים, שעל דבר קל היו מתענים תעניות הרבה מאד
This is why there are many cases of Talmudic Sages, who for some trivial fault undertook a great many fasts.
כמו רבי אלעזר בן עזריה, שהיה מתיר שתהא פרה יוצאה ברצועה שבין קרניה בשבת, וחכמים אוסרים, ופעם אחת יצאה כן פרתו של שכנתו, ולא מיחה בה, והושחרו שיניו מפני הצומות על שלא קיים דברי חביריו,
R. Elazar ben Azariah, for example, contended that a cow may go out wearing its strap between its horns on Shabbat, while his colleagues prohibited it. Once a neighbor’s cow went out with its strap and R. Elazar did not protest. Because he did not support his colleagues‘ view, he fasted so long that his teeth were blackened.8
וכן רבי יהושע, שאמר: בושני מדבריכם בית שמאי, והושחרו שיניו מפני הצומות
So, too, R. Joshua once remarked:9 “I am ashamed of your words, Beit Shammai.” His teeth, too, turned black through fasting.
ורב הונא, פעם אחת נתהפכה לו רצועה של תפילין, והתענה מ׳ צומות
Likewise Rav Huna, because his tefillin strap once turned over, undertook forty fasts.10
וכהנה רבות
Indeed, there are many such instances recorded about our Sages.
These fasts were not undertaken for the sake of repentance, nor as self-inflicted suffering in order to complete a process of atonement; these were not sins of the kind that required this. The sole purpose of these fasts was to restore the bonds of love between the former sinner and his Maker.
ועל יסוד זה
On this basis, that fasting substitutes for an offering, and as such has a place even when an individual does not need to undergo suffering in order to attain complete atonement,
לימד האריז״ל לתלמידיו על פי חכמת האמת מספר הצומות לכמה עונות וחטאים
the AriZal taught his disciples, according to the principles of the Kabbalah, the number of fasts to be undertaken for many transgressions,
אף שאין בהן כרת, ולא מיתה בידי שמים
even though they entail neither excision, nor death by divine agency — in which case suffering would be necessary.
כמו על הכעס, קנ״א תעניות וכו׳
Examples: for anger — 151 fasts;
ואפילו על איסור דרבנן, כמו סתם יינם, יתענה ע״ג תעניות וכו׳
even for transgressing a Rabbinic prohibition, such as drinking the wine of non-Jews — seventy-three fasts;
וכן על ביטול מצות עשה דרבנן, כמו תפלה, יתענה ס״א תעניות וכו׳
likewise for neglecting a positive Rabbinic enactment, such as prayer11 — sixty-one fasts.
ודרך כלל, סוד התענית היא סגולה נפלאה להתגלות רצון העליון ברוך הוא
As a general rule, the mystery of fasting is wondrously effective for the revelation of the Supreme Will,
כמו הקרבן, שנאמר בו: ריח ניחוח לה׳
similar to an offering, of which it is said,12 “An aroma pleasing to G‑d.”
וכמו שכתוב בישעיהו: הלזה תקרא צום ויום רצון לה׳
Thus in Isaiah13 we find, “Do you call this a fast and a day desirable to G‑d?!”
מכלל שהצום הנרצה הוא יום רצון
Obviously, an acceptable fast is a “desirable day.”.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Vayikra 1:3. |
| 2. | Loc. cit., v. 4. |
| 3. | 7b. |
| 4. | Parentheses appear in the original. |
| 5. | Loc. cit., v. 4. |
| 6. | Vayikra 22:21. |
| 7. | Cf. Berachot 17a. |
| 8. | Yerushalmi, Beitzah 2:8. |
| 9. | Chagigah 22b. |
| 10. | Moed Katan 25a. |
| 11. | The Rebbe notes that we cannot adduce from here that the Alter Rebbe is of the opinion that the obligation of prayer is of Rabbinic origin. (This would be consonant with the statement in his Shulchan Aruch, Hilchot Tefillah, Section 106; it is also implied in the beginning of ch. 38 of Tanya [Vol. II in this series, p. 514], and inLikkutei Torah, Parshat Balak 70c. However, in the famous letter of the Alter Rebbe that appears in Beit Rebbe, Part I, p. 20a, he states outright that prayer is of Torah origin. In Mishnat Yoel this whole issue is debated and explained. In any event, no proof can be derived from the above text.) For according to all opinions the specific times for prayer are of Rabbinic origin; when one neglects this aspect of prayer, then theAriZal prescribes sixty-one fasts. |
| 12. | Vayikra 1:13. |
| 13. | 58:5. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Monday, Tammuz 9, 5777 · July 3, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Positive Commandment 194
Returning a Stolen Item
"He shall return that which he stole"—Leviticus 5:23.
It is a mitzvah for a thief to return stolen property to its owner. (If the thief denied his crime and falsely swears as to his innocence, he is required to repay the principal plus 25%.)
The obligation to return the actual stolen item only applies if the object has not been substantially altered. If it has, then the thief must make restitution by giving the owner the monetary value of the stolen object.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Returning a Stolen Item
Positive Commandment 194
Translated by Berel Bell
The 194th mitzvah is that we are commanded to return the object that was robbed, if it still exists, and add an additional fifth;1 or to give its value if it has already changed form.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "And he must return the object that he robbed."
It is explained in tractate Makkos3 that the prohibition of robbery is a lav she'nitak l'aseh (a prohibition with a remedial positive commandment): "The Torah says,4 'Do not commit robbery,' and 'he must return the object which he robbed.' "
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the final chapters of Bava Kama.
FOOTNOTES
1.I.e. 1/4 of the value, which is 1/5 of the total (value plus fine). This fine must be paid only if he swore falsely in denial of the robbery.
2.Lev. 5:23.
3.16a.
4.Lev. 19:13.
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter A Day: Nachalot Nachalot - Chapter 7
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Nachalot - Chapter 7
1
Heirs are not given their inheritance until they bring clear proof that the person whose estate they are inheriting did in fact die. Even if they heard that he died, or gentiles mentioned that he died in the course of conversation, despite the fact that this is sufficient for license to be given for the person's wife to remarry and to receive the money due her by virtue of her ketubah, the heirs do not receive their inheritance on this basis.
א
אין היורשין נוחלין עד שיביאו ראיה ברורה שמת מורישן, אבל אם שמעו בו שמת או שבאו עכו"ם משיחין לפי תומן, אע"פ שמשיאין את אשתו על פיהם ונוטל כתובתה אין היורשין נוחלין על פיהם.
2
When a woman comes and states: "My husband died," although her testimony is accepted and she is given license to remarry and to receive the money due her by virtue of her ketubah, the heirs do not receive their inheritance on this basis.
If she testifies: "My husband died," and is married by his brother, the brother receives the deceased's estate on the basis of her testimony. This is derived from Deuteronomy 25:6: "He will assume the name of his deceased brother," and he has assumed his position.
ב
האשה שבאת ואמרה מת בעלי אע"פ שהיא נאמנת ותנשא ותטול כתובתה אין היורשין נכנסין לנחלה על פיה, אמרה מת בעלי ונתייבמה הרי יבמה נכנס לנחלה על פיה שנאמר יקום על שם אחיו המת והרי קם.
3
When a person drowned in a body of water that has no end, and witnesses testify that he drowned in their presence and all traces of him were lost, his heirs may inherit his estate on the basis of their testimony, despite the fact that, at the outset, his wife is not permitted to remarry in this situation.
Similarly, if witnesses come and testify that they saw a person fall into a lions' or tigers' den, they saw him crucified with birds eating from his body, he was pierced in battle and died, or he was killed, but his face was not recognizable, but there were definitive signs on his body and they were identified - with regard to these and similar situations, if all traces of the person were lost afterwards, the heirs may assume possession of the inheritance because of such testimony, although the person's wife is not given license to marry.
I maintain that our Sages were stringent concerning these matters only because of the severity of the prohibition involving karet involved. With regard to financial matters, by contrast, if witnesses testify with regard to matters that we can presume will lead to death, saying that they saw these matters, all traces of the person are lost, and afterwards it is heard that he died, we allow the heirs to assume possession of the estate on this basis. This is the standard practice followed on an everyday basis in all courts of law. We have not heard about anyone who rules differently regarding this matter.
ג
מי שטבע במים שאין להם סוף ובאו עדים שטבע בפניהם ואבד זכרו, אע"פ שאין משיאין את אשתו לכתחלה הרי היורשין נוחלין על פיהם, וכן אם באו עדים שראוהו שנפל לגוב אריות ונמרים או שראוהו צלוב והעוף אוכל בו, או שנדקר במלחמה ומת או שנהרג ולא הכירו פניו אבל היו לו סימנים מובהקין בגופו והכירו אותם, בכל אלו הדברים וכיוצא בהן אם אבד זכרו אחר כך יורדין לנחלה בעדות זו אף על פי שאין משיאין את אשתו, שאני אומר שלא החמירו בדברים אלו אלא מפני איסור כרת אבל לענין ממון אם העידו העדים בדברים שחזקתן למיתה והעידו שראו אותן הדברים ואבד זכרו ואחר כך נשמע שמת הרי אלו נוחלין על פיהן, וכזה מעשים בכל יום בכל בתי דינין ולא שמענו מי שחלק בדבר זה. 1
4
When a report was heard that a person who had been captive died, and the heirs assumed possession of his estate and divided it among themselves, we do not expropriate it from their possession. A similar law applies when a report is heard about the death of a person who fled because of danger to his life."
If, however, a report was heard that a person who voluntarily left his city died, and the heirs assumed possession of his estate and divided it among themselves, we do expropriate it from their possession unless they bring proof that this person died.
ד
שבוי שנשבה ושמעו שמת וירדו יורשיו לנחלה וחלקו אותה ביניהם אין מוציאין אותה מידן, וכן הבורח מחמת סכנה, אבל היוצא לדעת ששמעו בו שמת וירדו יורשיו לנכסיו וחלקום מוציאין מידן עד שיביאו ראיה שמת מורישן. 2
5
The court is obligated to take responsibility for the property belonging to a person who was taken captive or one who fled because of mortal danger.
What do they do? They entrust all the movable property to a person deemed trustworthy by the court for safekeeping.'9 They give possession of the landed property to relatives who are fit to inherit it, so that they would work the land and care for the property until they know whether the person died or he comes.
When the person who was taken captive or who fled comes, we evaluate the increase in value brought about by the relatives who were granted trusteeship and the benefit they received according to the norms applying to sharecroppers in that region.
Why does the court not appoint a guardian at all times, both for movable property and for landed property, until the owners come or until it is definitely known that they died? Because the court is not obligated to appoint guardians for adults who are intellectually mature.
ה
שבוי שנשבה וברח מחמת סכנת נפשות חייבין בית דין להתעסק בנכסיהן, כיצד עושין, כל המטלטלין יהיו מופקדין ביד נאמן על פי בית דין ומורידין לתוך הקרקעות קרובין הראויין לירושה כדי לעבוד את הקרקעות ולהתעסק בהן עד שיודע שמתו או עד שיבואו, ולכשיבוא השבוי והבורח שמין אלו הקרובים שהורדו מה שעשו ומה שאכלו כמנהג כל האריסין של אותה המדינה, ולמה לא יעמידו בית דין אפוטרופוס לעולם בין במטלטלים בין בקרקעות עד שיבואו הבעלים או עד שיודע בודאי שמתו, לפי שאין בית דין חייבין להעמיד אפוטרופוס לגדולים שהן בני דעת.
6
When a person was taken captive or fled because of danger and left standing grain to reap, or grapes, dates or olives to harvest, the court takes possession of their property and appoints a guardian who will reap or harvest this produce and sell it. The money is then entrusted to the court for safekeeping together with the remainder of the movable property. Afterwards, the relative is given possession of the property as stated in the previous halachah. This procedure is followed because if the relative were given the land at the outset, he might harvest this produce - for it is already as if it had been reaped - and consume it.
This concept also applies with regard to courtyards, inns and stores that are fit to be rented out, do not need work, for here is no difficulty in tending to them, and they are usually not given out in a sharecropping agreement. We do not place them in the possession of an heir, for he would collect the rent and consume it.
What is done instead? The court appoints a collector and has the rent placed in the court until the heir brings proof that the owner died or until the owner comes and takes his property.
ו
נשבה השבוי וברח המסוכן והניח קמה לקצור וענבים לבצור תמרים לגדור וזיתים למסוק, בית דין יורדים לנכסיו ומעמידין להן אפוטרופוס וקוצר ובוצר וגודר ומוסק ומוכר הפירות, ומניחין דמיהן עם שאר המטלטלין בבית דין ואחר כך מורידין הקרוב לנכסיו, שאם ירד תחלה שמא יתלוש אלו הפירות שהן כתלושין ויאכל אותן, והוא הדין בחצרות ופונדקיות וחנויות העשויות לשכר ואינן צריכין עבודה ולא טורח ואין אדם נותן אותן באריסות, אין מורידין להם יורש שהרי גובה השכר ואוכל, אלא כיצד עושין, בית דין מעמידין להן גבאי ויהיה השכר מונח בבית דין עד שיביא ראיה שמת או עד שיבא ויטול שלו.
7
A relative is never given possession of property other than fields, gardens, vineyards and the like. In these properties, he is considered as a sharecropper. This measure is instituted so that the properties will not be ruined and be left fallow and desolate.
ז
ואין מורידין הקרוב לעולם אלא לשדות ולגנות וכרמים וכיוצא בהן שיהיה בהן כאריס כדי שלא יפסדו ונמצאו בורים ונשמים. 3
8
The following laws apply when a person left his dwelling place voluntarily, abandoning his property, and we do not where he went or what happened to him. We do not give his property to a relative. If, however, a relative takes possession of it, we do not remove him from it. The court does not have the responsibility to tend to such a person's property and appoint a guardian, neither for the landed property nor for the movable property. The rationale is that he voluntarily departed and abandoned his property.
What are the laws governing this person's property? The movable property should remain in the possession of the person in whose domain it is found until this person comes and claims it or until he dies and it is claimed by heirs.
ח
מי שיצא לדעת והניח נכסיו ואין ידוע להיכן הלך ולא מה אירע לו, אין מורידין קרוב לנכסיו ואם ירד אין מסלקין אותו, ואין בית דין צריכין להטפל בו ולהעמיד לו אפוטרופוס לא לקרקע ולא למטלטלין שהרי לדעתו יצא והניח נכסיו, וכיצד יהיה דין נכסי זה, מטלטלין יעמדו ביד זה שהן תחת ידו עד שיבא זה ויתבע או עד שימות ויתבעו היורשין.
9
With regard to landed property in which he left someone dwelling, we do not collect rent from him. If there is a field or a vineyard left to a sharecropper, it should remain as he left it until he comes. If he left a field or a vineyard fallow, it should be left fallow. The rationale is that he willingly caused the loss of his property, and when a person willingly forfeits his property, we are not required to return it.
ט
והקרקעות מי שהניחו שכן אין לוקחין ממנו שכר, ושדה או כרם שהיה בהן אריס ישארו כמו שהניחו עד שיבוא, ושדה או כרם שהניחם בורים ישארו בורים שהרי הוא ברצונו אבד ממונו ואבדה לדעת אין אנו מצווין להחזירה.
10
If we hear a report that the person who had left voluntarily died, the court collects all the movable property belonging to him and entrusts it to a person whom they consider faithful. They give the fields and vineyards to a relative to care for as a sharecropper, until the heirs bring clear proof that the owner died or until the owner comes.
י
שמעו בו שמת הרי בית דין מוציאין כל המטלטלין ומניחין אותן אצל נאמן על פיהן ומורידין הקרוב לשדות ולכרמים בהן כאריס עד שיביא ראיה ברורה שמת או עד שיבוא.
FOOTNOTES
1.מי שטבע במים וכו' עד הרי היורשין נוחלין על פיהם. א"א ויש מי שאומר שהיא אינה נוטלת כתובתה שאין אני קורא בה כשתנשאי לאחר תטלי מה שכתוב ליכי עכ"ל.
2.שבוי שנשבה וכו'. א"א תמה אני על דבריו רבותינו אמרו אפילו בלא שמעו בו שמת מורידין קרוב לנכסיו והוא אומר אפילו בששמעו בו שמת אם ירדו לנחלה אין מוציאין מידם (ועוד ביוצא לדעת ששמעו בו שמת מנין לו שמוציאין אותם מידם) עכ"ל.
3.ואין מורידין וכו' עד בורים ונשמים. א"א אני איני אומר כן כשאמרו שמין להם כאריס לא אמרו אלא כשיבא וימצא שם פירות אבל כל מה שאכל עד שלא בא שלו הוא עכ"ל.
• 3 Chapters A Day: Gezelah va'Avedah Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Thirteen, Gezelah va'Avedah Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Fourteen, Gezelah va'Avedah Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Fifteen
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Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Thirteen
1
When a person finds a lost object that he is obligated to return, he is obligated to announce its discovery and make it known, saying: "Whoever lost this type of article should come, identify it with marks and take it."
Even if the article was worth a p'rutah at the time of its discovery, but depreciated in value, the finder is required to announce its discovery.
There was a large stone outside of Jerusalem on which the announcements would be made.
א
המוצא א אבדה שהוא חייב להחזירה חייב להכריז עליה ולהודיעה ולומר מי שאבד לו [א] מין פלוני יבוא ויתן סימנין ויטול. אפילו היתה שוה פרוטה בעת המציאה והוזלה חייב להכריז עליה. ואבן גבוהה היתה חוץ לירושלים שעליה היו מכריזין:
2
How is an announcement made? If a person discovered money, he announces: "Whoever lost coins should come...." Similarly, he announces "Whoever lost a garment..." "... an animal..." or "... promissory notes should come, identify them with marks and collect them."
He need not worry because he mentioned the type of object that was discovered, for he will not return it until it is identified with distinctive marks.
ב
כיצד מכריז. אם מצא מעות מכריז מי שאבד לו מטבע. וכן מכריז מי שאבד לו כסות או בהמה או שטרות יבוא ויתן סימנים ויטול ואינו חושש מפני שהודיע מין האבדה לפי שאינו מחזירו עד שיתן סימנים מובהקין:
3
If the owner of the lost object came and identified it with marks that are not distinctive, it should not be returned to him until he identifies it with distinctive marks.
When a person is known as a deceiver, a lost article should not be returned to him even if he identifies it with distinctive marks. He must bring witnesses who testify that the article is his. Our Sages said: "Deuteronomy 22:2: "It shall remain in your possession until your brother asks... ," can also be interpreted to mean that one must examine the person to see whether or not he is a deceiver.
ג
בא בעל האבדה ונתן סימנים שאינן מובהקין אין מחזירין לו עד שיאמר סימנים מובהקין. והרמאי אע"פ שאמר סימנים מובהקין אין מחזירין לו עד שיביא עדים שהיא שלו. אמרו חכמים והיה עמך עד דרוש אחיך עד שתחקור אחריו אם רמאי הוא אם לאו:
4
At first, whenever a person lost an article and came and identified it with marks, it would be returned to him, unless he was known as a deceiver. When the amount of deceivers proliferated, the court ordained that when a person claimed a lost object, he would be told: "Bring witnesses that you are not a deceiver. Then you may take it."
ד
בראשונה כל מי שאבד לו אבדה ובא ונתן סימניה מחזירין אותה לו אלא אם כן הוחזק רמאי. משרבו הרמאין התקינו בית דין שיהו אומרין לו הבא עדים שאין אתה רמאי וטול:
5
Distinctive marks are relied upon and used as the basis for court rulings in all matters according to Scriptural law. An object's measure, weight, its number or the place where it was lost are considered distinctive marks.
ה
הסימנים המובהקין סומכין עליהם ודנין על פיהם בכל מקום דין תורה. והמדה [ב] או המשקל או המנין או מקום האבדה סימנין מובהקין הן:
6
If two people come, and both identify the article by its marks in the same manner, the article should not be given to either of them. Instead it should remain in the finder's possession until one of them acknowledges his colleague's claim or they arrive at a compromise.
If one of them identifies the article by marks and the other brings witnesses who testify that the article is his, the article is given to the one who brought witnesses.
If both claimants identify the article with marks and one brings one witness to support his claim, the presence of the witness is not considered of consequence, and the article should remain in the finder's possession.
ו
באו שנים זה נתן סימני האבדה וזה נתן סימני האבדה כמו שנתן האחר לא יתן לא לזה ולא לזה אלא תהיה מונחת עד שיודה האחד לחבירו או יעשו ביניהן פשרה. נתן האחד את הסימנים והשני הביא עדים יתן לבעל העדים. זה נתן סימנים וזה נתן סימנים ועד אחד הרי העד האחד כמו שאינו ויניח:
7
If a person finds a dress or an article of that nature and there are two claimants, one brings witnesses who testify that it was woven for him and one brings witnesses who testify that it fell from his possession, it should be given to the one whose witnesses testify they saw the article fall.
If one identifies it by stating its length and the other identifies it by stating its width, it should be given to the one who stated its length, for it is possible for a deceiver to deduce its width by watching its owner when wearing it.
If one identifies it by stating its length and width, and the other identifies it by stating its weight, it should be given to the one who stated its weight. If one identifies it by stating its length and width, and the other identifies it by stating the measure of its fringes, it should be given to the one who stated its length and width.
ז
מצא שמלה וכיוצא בה וזה הביא עדי אריגה שארגוה לו וזה הביא עדים שנפלה ממנו יתן לעדי נפילה. זה נתן מדת ארכה וזה נתן מדת רחבה יתן למי שנתן מדת ארכה שאפשר שישער הרמאי מדת רחבה כשהיה בעליה מתכסה בה. זה נתן מדת ארכה ורחבה וזה כיון משקלותיה יתן למי שכיון משקלה. זה נתן מדת ארכה ורחבה וזה נתן מדת [ג] האמריות שבה יתן למי שנתן מדת ארכה ורחבה:
8
Originally, whoever would find a lost object would announce its discovery at three successive pilgrimage festivals. On the first festival he would say that he was making this announcement for the first time. On the second festival, he would say it was the second time.
On the third festival, he would announce the discovery of the article without mentioning the number of times, lest a listener hear incorrectly and confuse the second announcement with the third. After the third festival, he should wait seven days and make a fourth announcement. This provision enabled a person who heard to travel home in three days, check his household articles and return in three days. Thus, he could meet the person when he made the fourth announcement on the seventh day.
ח
בראשונה כל מי שמצא אבדה היה מכריז עליה שלשה רגלים. רגל ראשון אומר ראשון. שני אומר שני. שלישי מכריז סתם כדי שלא יתחלף לו שני בשלישי. ואחר רגל האחרון בשבעת ימים מכריז פעם רביעית. כדי שילך השומע לביתו בשלשה ימים וימשש כליו ויחזור בשלשת הימים וימצא זה המכריז מכריז בשביעי:
9
When the Temple was destroyed, our Sages ordained that announcements should be made in synagogues and houses of study.
When there was an increase in the number of men of violence who say: "All lost objects belong to the king," our Sages ordained that announcements should be made discreetly to one's neighbors and associates. That is sufficient.
ט
משחרב בית המקדש התקינו שיהו מכריזין בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות משרבו האנסין ואמרו המציאה של מלך היא התקינו שיהיו מודיעין לשכיניו ולמיודעיו ודיו:
10
If an announcement or notification was made and the owner did not come to claim the discovered object, it should remain in the possession of the finder until Elijah the prophet comes.
If it is lost or stolen while it is in the finder's possession, he is responsible for it. If it is destroyed by forces beyond his control, he is not liable. The rationale is that a person who cares for a lost object is considered a paid watchman. For he is involved in the performance of a mitzvah, and as such is freed from the obligation to perform several positive commandments as long as he is occupied with guarding it.
י
הכריז או הודיע ולא באו הבעלים תהיה המציאה מונחת אצלו עד שיבא אליהו. ובכל זמן שהאבדה אצלו אם נגנבה או אבדה חייב באחריותה ואם נאנסה פטור ששומר אבדה כשומר שכר [ד] הוא מפני שהוא עוסק במצוה ונפטר מכמה מצות עשה כל זמן שהוא עוסק בשמירתה:
11
The finder must pay attention to the lost article and inspect it so that it will not become spoiled and ruined over the course of time. This may be inferred from Deuteronomy 22:2, which states: "And you shall return it to him." Implied is that one must see to it that the article will in fact be returned intact.
What is implied? If one finds a woolen garment, one should shake it out every 30 days. He should not shake it out using a staff, nor with two people.
He may spread it out on a couch for its benefit alone, but not for its benefit and for his benefit. If guests visit him, he should not spread it out in their presence even for its own benefit, lest it be stolen.
יא
וצריך לבקר את האבדה ולבדקה כדי שלא תפסד ותאבד מאליה שנאמר והשבותו לו ראה היאך תשיבנו לו. כיצד א מצא כסות של צמר מנערה אחת לשלשים יום ולא ינערנה במקל ולא בשני בני אדם. ושוטחה על גבי מטה לצרכה בלבד אבל לא לצרכה [ה] ולצרכו. נזדמנו לו אורחים לא ישטחנה בפניהם ואפילו לצרכה שמא תגנב:
12
If one finds wooden utensils, he should use them so that they do not rot. If he finds copper utensils, he should use them for hot substances, but he should not expose them to fire, because they become worn. Silver utensils should be used only for cold substances, but not for hot substances, because they become discolored.
If one finds rakes or hatchets, one should use them with soft substances, but not with hard ones, lest their value deteriorate. If one finds golden utensils, glass utensils or linen garments, one should not touch them until Elijah arrives.
The same principles that apply to a lost object which one discovered apply to an entrusted object whose owner undertook a long journey.
יב
מצא כלי עץ משתמש בהן כדי שלא ירקבו. ב כלי נחשת משתמש בהן בחמין אבל לא על ידי האור מפני שמשחיקן. כלי כסף משתמש בהן בצונן אבל לא בחמין מפני שמשחירן. מצא מגריפות וקרדומות ישתמש בהן ברך אבל לא בקשה מפני שמפחיתן. מצא כלי זהב וכלי זכוכית וכסות של [ו] פשתן הרי זה לא יגע בהן עד שיבא אליהו. וכדרך שאמר באבידה כך אמרו בפקדון שהלכו בעליו למדינת הים:
13
If he finds scrolls, he should read them once in 30 days. If he does not know how to read, he should roll them every 30 days. One should never study a subject for the first time, [from the scrolls], nor should one read a passage and repeat it or translate it.
One should not open the scroll more than three columns wide. Two people should not read two different subjects from the same scroll, lest each pull it to himself and ruin the scroll. Two people may, however, read the same subject. Three people may not read from the same scroll, however, even if they are reading about the same subject.
יג
מצא ספרים קורא בהן אחת לשלשים יום ואם אינו יודע לקרות גוללן כל שלשים יום. ולעולם לא ילמוד בהן לכתחילה. ולא יקרא פרשה וישנה. ולא יקרא פרשה ויתרגם. ולא יפתח בו יתר משלשה דפין. ולא יהיו שנים קורין בשני עניינין שמא [ז] ימשוך זה וימשוך זה ויבלה הספר. אבל קורין הן בענין אחד. ולא יקראו שלשה בספר אחד ואפילו בענין אחד:
14
If one finds tefillin, he may have their value appraised and don them.
The rationale is that tefillin are common-place articles, possessed by everyone, and their purpose is only for the sake of the fulfillment of the commandment.
יד
מצא תפילין שם דמיהן ומניחן עליו שדבר מצוי הוא ביד הכל ואין עשויין אלא למצותן בלבד:
15
The following rules apply if a person finds a living being that must be fed. If the found object may be used to earn money although it eats - e.g., a cow or a donkey - the finder should care for them twelve months from the day of their discovery. He should hire them out and feed them. If the rental he receives for their hire exceeds the cost of their food, the additional amount belongs to the owner. Similarly, if one finds chickens, one should sell their eggs and feed them for twelve months.
From this time onward, one should have their value assessed, and they are considered as belonging in partnership to the finder and the original owner. The arrangement is governed by the laws applying to one who raises livestock for a colleague.
טו
מצא דבר שיש בו רוח חיים שהרי צריך הוא להאכילו. אם היה דבר שעושה ואוכל כגון פרה וחמור מטפל בהן שנים עשר חדש מיום המציאה ומשכירן ולוקח שכר ומאכילן. ואם היה שכרן יתר על אכילתן הרי היתר לבעלים. וכן התרנגולין מוכר ביציהן ומאכילן כל שנים עשר חדש מיכן ואילך שם דמיהן עליו והרי הן שלו ושל בעלים בשותפות כדין כל השם בהמה מחבירו:
16
If one finds calves or ponies that pasture, he should care for them for three months. If he finds beasts that must be fed, he should care for them for 30 days.
If he finds large geese or roosters, he should care for them for 30 days. If he finds younger fowl and any other live being whose care is more costly than the wage that may be earned with it, he should care for them for three days. Afterwards, he should sell them in the presence of a court.
Similarly, if produce has begun to rot, or other similar things occur to a lost object, it should be sold in the presence of a court.
טז
מצא עגלים וסייחין של רעי מטפל בהן שלשה חדשים ושל בריאה שלשים יום. אווזים ותרנגולין גדולים מיטפל בהן [ח] שלשים יום. מצא קטנים וכל דבר שטיפולו מרובה משכרו מטפל בהן שלשה ימים מיכן ואילך מוכרן בבית דין. וכן פירות שהתחילו להרקיב וכיוצא בהן מוכרן בבית דין:
17
What should be done with the money from the sale? It should be given to the finder. He has permission to use it as a loan.
Therefore, if the money is lost by forces beyond his control - e.g., it was plundered by an attacking force or it sank in the sea - he is liable for its repayment even if he never made use of it. Since he has permission to use it, it is as if he borrowed it.
יז
מה יעשה בדמים ינתנו למוצא ויש לו רשות להשתמש בהן. לפיכך אם [ט] נאנסו כגון שטרפם גייס או טבעו בים חייב לשלם ואף על פי שלא נשתמש בהן שכיון שיש לו רשות להשתמש בהן הרי הן אצלו כשאלה:
18
Which funds may a finder make use of? The money received for the sale of a lost object. Since he cared for the object he is given this privilege. If, however, a person finds money, he should not make use of it. Therefore, if it is lost because of forces beyond his control, he is not liable, for he is considered a paid watchman, as explained above.
יח
במה דברים אמורים בדמי האבידה הואיל ונטפל בהן. אבל מעות אבידה לא ישתמש בהן. לפיכך אם אבדו באונס פטור שהרי הוא שומר שכר כמו שביארנו:
19
During the entire time in which the finder cares for the lost animal before selling it in court, if he feeds it from his own resources, he must be reimbursed by the owner. It appears to me that he is entitled to collect this sum without supporting his claim with an oath. This is a decree ordained for the benefit of society.
יט
כל אותן הימים שמטפל באבדה קודם שימכרנה בבית דין אם האכילם משלו נוטל מן הבעלים. ויראה לי שהוא נוטל בלא שבועה מפני תיקון העולם:
20
When a person finds a lost object, he is not required to take an oath. This is a decree ordained for the benefit of society. For if a finder of a lost article were required to take an oath, he would ignore the lost article and proceed on his way, so that he would not be required to take the oath.
Even if a person found a wallet, and the owner of the wallet claimed that there was another wallet tied together with it, and it would be impossible to find one without finding the other tied to it, the finder is not required to take an oath.
כ
המוצא מציאה לא ישבע מפני תיקון העולם שאם אתה אומר ישבע יניח המציאה וילך לו כדי שלא ישבע. אפילו מצא כיס וטען בעל המציאה ששני כיסים קשורים היו ואי אפשר שימצא האחד אלא אם נמצא האחר הקשור עמו הרי זה לא ישבע:
Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Fourteen
1
Deuteronomy 22:1-3 states: "Do not watch your brother's ox or sheep going astray and ignore them.... Return them to him.... This is what you must do to his donkey and to his garment and to all lost articles that your brother will lose and you will find."
A garment is included in the general category of "all lost articles that your brother will lose," as is an ox, a sheep and a donkey. Why then does the Torah mention a donkey individually? To teach that it should be returned when there is an identifying mark on its cushion and not on the donkey itself. Although the mark is on a matter of secondary importance, it should be returned.
Why does the Torah mention an ox and a sheep individually? To teach that the shearings of a sheep and even the shearing of the tail of an ox, which is an insubstantial matter, must be returned.
Why does the Torah mention a garment individually? To teach the following concept. A garment is unique in that it has marks by which it could be identified, and we presume that its owner would seek its recovery. It thus becomes a paradigm, and any article that has marks and has owners who seek its recovery must be returned. If, however, a lost article no longer has owners who seek it, for they have despaired of its recovery, it belongs to its finder, even if it has marks by which it can be identified.
א
השמלה בכלל כל אבידת אחיך היתה וכן השור והשה וחמור. ולמה פרט הכתוב חמור להחזירו בסימני מרדעת אע"פ שהסימן בדבר הטפל לו יחזיר ולמה פרט שור ושה להחזיר אפילו גיזת השה או גז [א] זנב שור אע"פ שהוא דבר מועט. ולמה פרט השמלה ללמוד ממנה מה השמלה מיוחדת שיש לה סימנין וחזקתה שיש לה תובעין וחייב להחזיר אף ד כל דבר שיש לו סימנים הרי הוא בחזקת שיש לו תובעין וחייב להחזיר. אבל דבר שאין לו תובעין אלא נתייאשו ממנו הבעלים הרי הוא של מוצאו אף על פי שיש בו סימנים:
2
This principle must be followed with regard to a lost article: Whenever an article does not have a mark by which it can be identified - e.g., one nail or one needle - as soon as the owners knew that it is lost, we presume that the owners despaired of its recovery. For they cannot provide a mark by which it can be identified and returned to them. Therefore, it belongs to the finder.
ב
זה הכלל באבדה כל דבר שאין בו סימן כיון שאבד וידעו בו הבעלים שאבד הרי זה בחזקת שנתייאשו בעליו ממנו כגון מסמר אחד או מחט אחת או מטבע שהרי אינן יכולים ליתן סימן להחזירו להן ולפיכך הרי הוא לזה שמצאו:
3
When by contrast an article has a mark by which it can be identified - e.g., a garment or an animal - we presume that the owners have not despaired of its recovery. For they think that they will be able to identify it by its marks, and it will be returned to them.
For this reason, a person who finds it is obligated to announce its discovery unless he knows that the owners have despaired of its recovery - e.g., he heard them saying, "How terrible a loss!" or other things that indicate that they despaired of its return. In such an instance, the lost article belongs to its finder.
ג
וכל דבר שיש בו סימן כגון שמלה ובהמה הרי זה בחזקת שלא נתייאשו ממנו בעליו שהרי דעתן תלויה ליתן סימנין שיש בו ויחזור להן לפיכך המוצאו חייב להכריז אלא אם כן ידע שנתייאשו הבעלים כגון ששמע אותם אומרים ווי לחסרון כיס וכיוצא בדברים אלו שמראין שנתייאשו הרי אותה האבידה של מוצאה:
4
Similarly, if a person finds an article that has a mark by which it can be identified - in the sea, in a river or the like, or in a place where the majority of people are gentiles - he may presume that its owners despaired of its recovery at the time that it fell. It therefore belongs to the finder, even though he has not heard that the owners despaired of its recovery.
ד
וכן אם מצא דבר שיש בו סימן בים ובנהר וכיוצא בהן או במקום שרובו עכו"ם הרי זה בחזקת שנתייאשו בעליו ממנו משעה שנפל. ולפיכך הרי הוא של מוצאן ואע"פ שלא שמעו הבעלים שנתייאשו ממנו:
5
When the owner of an article does not know of its loss, he is not considered to have despaired of its recovery, even if it does not have a mark by which it can be identified.
What is implied? If a person dropped a dinar and did not realize that he dropped it, he is not considered to have despaired of its recovery until he becomes aware that he dropped it. Even though he will certainly despair of its recovery when he realizes that he dropped it it is forbidden to take the article until that time.
Moreover, if an owner is unaware that an article was dropped, even though he is aware of its absence, but thinks, "Maybe I gave it to so and so," "... placed it in a cabinet," "... made a mistake in my accounts," or the like, he is not considered to have despaired of the article's return.
ה
יאוש שלא מדעת אפילו בדבר שאין בו סימן אינו יאוש. כיצד נפל ממנו דינר ולא ידע בו שנפל אע"פ שכשידע בו שנפל יתייאש הרי זה אינו יאוש עתה עד שידעו הבעלים שנפל. אבל אם עדיין אומרים הבעלים שמא נתתיו לפלוני או במגדל הוא מונח או שמא טעיתי בחשבון וכיוצא באלו הדברים אין זה יאוש:
6
When a person sees a colleague drop a dinar on the ground without being aware of it and takes the dinar before his colleague despairs of its recovery, he transgresses a positive commandment and two negative commandments, as we have explained.
Even if he returns the dinar to his colleague after the latter has despaired of its recovery, the return of the money is not significant. It is as if he is giving him a present, and he is considered to have already violated the transgressions.
ו
הרואה חבירו שנפל ממנו דינר על הארץ ולא ידע בו ונטל הדינר קודם יאוש עובר על עשה ועל שני לאוין כמו שביארנו. ואפילו החזיר לו הדינר לאחר שנתייאש מתנה היא זו וכבר עבר על האיסורים:
7
If the finder takes the dinar before the owner despairs of its return, with the intent of returning it, and after the owner despairs of its return decides to take it as his own, he transgresses only the positive commandment, Deuteronomy 22:1: "You shall certainly return it."
If he waits and does not notify the owners, but does not take the dinar until the owners become aware that it fell, at which time they will despair, as we have explained, and then he takes the dinar from the ground, he transgresses only the commandment ibid.: "You may not ignore it." The same applies in all similar situations.
ז
נטל הדינר לפני יאוש על מנת להחזירו ולאחר יאוש נתכוון לגזול אותו עובר משום השב תשיבם. המתין לה ולא הודיע לבעלים ולא נטל הדינר עד שידעו הבעלים שנפל שהרי נתייאשו כמו שביארנו ואחר כך נטל הדינר מעל הארץ אינו עובר אלא משום לא תוכל להתעלם וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
8
A person who sees a sela or another coin drop from even three people, even though there is not a p'rutah's worth for each of them, is obligated to return it. The rationale is that they might all be partners, and one may have been willing to forgo his share in favor of a colleague. Thus, that person has a share in the lost article worth more than a p'rutah.
ח
ראה סלע או מטבע שנפל אפילו משלשה בני אדם ואף על פי שאין בו שוה פרוטה לכל אחד ואחד חייב להחזיר שמא שותפין הן ומחל אחד מהן חלקו לחבירו ונמצאת אבדתו של זה שוה פרוטה:
9
When a person sees a dinar fall from a colleague into sand or into dust and escape the colleague's vision, it is as if it fell into the sea or into a river, and it belongs to the finder. For the owner despairs of its recovery, since it does not have a mark by which it can be identified.
Even if he saw the original owner bring a sifter to search for the lost dinar, the owner is considered to have given up hope. He is searching out of wishful thinking, as would other seekers who search in the dust although they have not lost anything, in the hope that they will find what someone else has lost. The owner is searching in such a manner; it is not that he has not despaired of the recovery of his money.
ט
ראה חבירו שנפל ממנו דינר בתוך החול או בתוך העפר ונתעלם ממנו הרי זה כנופל לים או לנהר והרי הוא של מוצאו. שהרי נתייאש ממנו מפני שאין בו סימן. ואפילו ראה אותו מביא כברה לחפש אחריו בדעת רעועה הוא מחפש כדרך שמחפשים בעפר שאר הבלשין שלא נפל מהן כלום שמא ימצאו מה שנפל לאחרים כך הוא זה מחפש לא מפני שלא נתייאש:
10
The following rules apply when a person finds a sela in the market place. If a colleague finds him and tells him: "It is mine. It is new; it comes from this and this country and was issued by this and this king" - indeed, even if he says "My name was written on it" - his words are of no consequence, and the finder is not obligated to return it.
The rationale is that the marks on a coin are not an accepted means of identification, because we can assume that a coin will be used for spending. Thus, we can say, "It was his, but he spent it, and it fell from the possession of another person."
Since the marks on a coin are not relied upon as means of identification, as soon as a person realizes that a coin has fallen, he despairs of its recovery. Therefore, it becomes the property of the finder.
י
המוצא סלע בשוק מצאו חבירו ואמר לו שלי היא וחדשה היא ושל מדינה פלונית היא ושל מלך פלוני היא אפילו אמר שמי כתוב עליה לא אמר כלום ואינו חייב להחזיר. שאין סימני המטבע סימן מפני שחזקתו להוצאה. ואנו אומרין שלו היתה והוציאה מידו ונפלה מיד אחר והואיל ואינו סימן שסומכין עליו משעת נפילה נתייאש והרי היא של מוצאה:
11
When a person finds an article that does not possess a mark by which it can be identified, next to an article that possesses such a mark, the finder is obligated to announce the discovery of both articles.
If the owner of the article which possesses a mark by which it can be identified comes and takes his article, but says that he lost only this article, the finder acquires the article lacking the mark by which it can be identified.
יא
המוצא דבר שאין בו סימן בצד דבר שיש בו סימן חייב להכריז. בא בעל הסימן ונטל את שלו ואמר שזה בלבד נפל ממנו זכה המוצא בדבר שאין בו סימן:
12
The following laws apply when a person finds an earthenware utensil or any other type of utensil that is made in a standard manner. If new utensils are found, they are acquired by the finder. For they are like a dinar, and there is no difference between one dinar and another, and thus no way of identifying them. Similarly, the owner cannot identify these earthenware utensils; he does not know whether this jar or this vial is his or if it belongs to someone else.
If, however, the earthenware utensils have been in their owner's possession for an extended period, and have become familiar to his eye, the finder is obligated to announce their discovery. For if a Torah scholar will come and say: "Although I cannot identify this utensil with a mark, I can recognize it as my own," the finder is obligated to show it to him. And if the scholar claims to recognize it and says that it belongs to him, it should be returned to him.
יב
המוצא כלי חרש וכיוצא בהן מכלים שצורת כולן שוה. אם כלים חדשים הם הרי הם שלו שהרי הן כמו דינר משאר הדינרים שאין לו סימן ואין הבעלים מכירים אותן. שהרי אינו יודע אם פך זה או צלוחית זו שלו או של אחר. ואם היה כלים [ב] ששבעתן* העין חייב להכריז. שאם יבא תלמיד חכם ויאמר אע"פ שאינו יכול ליתן בכלי כזה סימן יש לו בו טביעות עין חייב להראותו לו אם הכירו ואמר שלי הוא מחזירן:
13
When does the above apply? To a refined sage who does not tell any falsehoods except to promote peace, or with regard to the tractate he is studying, the bed that he slept on or the house in which he stays.
What is meant by the above? If he was studying the tractate of Niddah and said that he was studying the tractate of Mikvaot, so that he would not be asked about the Niddah laws.
He slept in one bed, but said that he slept in another, lest signs of a seminal emission be discovered in the bed in which he slept.
He stayed at Reuven's home, but said that he stayed at Shimon's, so that others would not trouble Reuven.
He made peace between two people and added and subtracted from the statements each one of them made to heighten their feelings of closeness. Such deceptions are permitted. If, however, witnesses came and testified that he made other false statements, there is no obligation to return an article that he claims to have recognized.
יג
במה דברים אמורים בתלמיד ותיק שאינו משנה בדיבורו כלל אלא בדברי שלום או במסכתא או במטה או בבית שהוא מתארח בו. כיצד היה עוסק במסכתא דנדה ואמר במקואות אני שונה כדי שלא ישאלוהו שאלות בענין נדה. או שישן במטה זו ואומר בזו אני ישן שמא ימצא שם קרי. או שנתארח אצל שמעון ואמר אצל ראובן אני מתארח כדי שלא יטריח על זה שנתארח אצלו. או שהביא שלום בין אדם לחבירו והוסיף וגרע כדי לחבבן זה לזה הרי זה מותר. אבל אם באו עדים ששנה בדבורו חוץ מדברים אלו אין מחזירין לו בטביעות עין:
Gezelah va'Avedah - Chapter Fifteen
1
Whenever a person finds an article that appears to have been intentionally placed down, it is forbidden for him to touch it. This applies whether or not it has a mark by which it can be identified.
The rationale is that perhaps the owner of the article left it there until he returns. Thus, if the finder takes it he will have ill-treated the owner. If the article does not have a mark by which it can be identified, he has purposefully caused his colleague financial loss, for the article does not have a mark that will enable it to be identified and returned. Even if it has a mark, he has wronged him, for he has troubled him to search for the article and identify it by its marks. Therefore, it is forbidden for the finder to touch it, unless it appears to have fallen.
Even if the finder is in doubt and does not know whether the article was lost or placed down, he should not touch it. If he transgressed and took it, he is forbidden to return it to its place. If it is an article that does not have a mark by which it can be identified, the finder acquires it; he is not obligated to return it.
א
כל המוצא אבידה בין שיש בה סימן בין שאין בה סימן אם מצאה דרך הנחה אסור ליגע בה שמא בעליה הניחוה שם עד שיחזרו לה ג ואם יבא ליטלנה והיה דבר שאין בו סימן הרי אבד ממון חבירו בידו שהרי אין לו בה סימן להחזיר בו. ואם היה דבר שיש לו סימן הרי זה הטריחן לרדוף אחריה ולתת סימנה. ולפיכך אסור לו שיגע בה עד שימצאנה דרך נפילה ואפילו נסתפק לו הדבר ולא ידע אם דבר זה אבוד או מונח הרי זה לא יגע בו. ואם עבר ונטלו אסור לו להחזירו לשם. ואם היה דבר שאין בו סימן זכה בו ואינו חייב להחזירו:
2
Whenever a person takes an article that can be identified with a mark, whether originally it had been placed down or had dropped, whether in a private domain or in the public domain, he is obligated to announce its discovery.
What is meant by an article that appears to have been intentionally placed down? If a person finds a donkey or a cow pasturing on the road during the day, or he finds a utensil buried in a garbage heap, he should not touch them, for Deuteronomy 22:1, the verse that commands the return of a lost object, speaks of an ox or a sheep "going astray" in the way.
If, however, he found a donkey with its gear overturned, a cow running through vineyards or a utensil lying openly in a garbage heap, it is considered a lost article. It should be taken and its discovery announced.
ב
וכל דבר שיש בו סימן בין בדרך הנחה בין בדרך נפילה בין ברשות היחיד בין ברשות הרבים חייב להכריז. כיצד דרך הנחה כגון שמצא חמור או פרה רועים בדרך ביום או שמצא כלי מכוסה באשפה הרי זה לא יגע בהן שנאמר נדחים בדרך. אבל אם מצא חמור וכליו הפוכים ופרה רצה בין הכרמים או כלי מגולה באשפה הרי זו אבידה ונוטל ומכריז:
3
If one sees a donkey or a cow pasturing in an ordinary place and manner at night, the animal is considered lost.9
If he saw the animal pasturing at twilight or at dawn for three consecutive days, it is considered a lost article; it should be taken and its discovery announced.
The following laws apply when a person sees a cow running down a road. If it is facing the city, it is not considered a lost article. If it is not facing the city, it is considered a lost article.
ג
ראה חמור או פרה רועים באפר כדרכן בלילה הרי זו אבידה. בפנות היום ובנשף אם ראה אותן שלשה ימים זה אחר זה הרי זו אבידה ונוטל ומכריז. ראה פרה רצה בדרך אם פניה כלפי העיר אין זו אבידה כלפי השדה הרי זו אבידה:
4
If a person finds a cow pasturing among the vineyards, he is obligated to return the animal to its owner because of the damage that will be done to the property.
Therefore, if the vineyards belong to a gentile, the animal is not considered lost and there is no obligation to return it. If he suspects that perhaps the gentile will kill the animal when he finds it because it spoiled his vineyard, it is considered a lost article; it should be taken and its discovery announced.
ד
מצאה רועה בין הכרמים חייב להחזיר משום אבידת הקרקע. לפיכך אם היו הכרמים של עכו"ם אינה אבידה ואינו חייב להחזיר. ואם חשש שמא יהרגנה העכו"ם כשימצאנה מפני שהפסידה הכרם הרי זו אבידה ונוטל ומכריז:
5
The following rules apply if a person finds a cow in the public domain. If it is found beyond the Sabbath limits of the city, he is obligated to return it. If it was pasturing in the grass or located in a barn that is neither a totally secure place nor one from where it will definitely flee, the finder should not touch it; this is not a lost article.
If he found a garment or an axe at the side of a wall, he should not touch them. If he found them in a thoroughfare, he should take them and announce their discovery. The same applies in all similar instances.
ה
מצא פרה ברשות הרבים אם עומדת חוץ לתחום חייב להחזיר. היתה רועה בעשבים או שהיתה ברפת שאינה משתמרת ואינה מאבדת לא יגע בה שאין זו אבדה. מצא טלית או קרדום בצד הגדר הרי זה לא יגע בהן. בסרטיא הרי זה נוטל ומכריז וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
6
If a person finds young doves whose wings are tied together and they are hopping behind a stone wall, a wooden fence or in a lane in the fields, he should not touch them, since it is possible that their owner left them there. If, however, he takes them, they become his property.
If they were found tied with a unique knot that can serve as a mark of identification, the finder is obligated to announce their discovery. Similarly, if he found them located in a fixed place, he is obligated to announce their discovery, for the place where an object is discovered can serve as a mark of identification.
ו
מצא גוזלות מקושרין בכנפיהן ומדדין אחר הגדר או אחר הגפה או בשבילין שבשדות הרי לא יגע בהן שמא בעליהן הניחום שם. ואם נטלן הרי אלו שלו. ואם היו קשורין קשר שהוא סימן חייב להכריז. וכן אם מצאן קבועים במקומן חייב להכריז שהמקום סימן:
7
If a person finds a utensil buried in a garbage heap, he should not touch it, as mentioned above. If the garbage dump is not usually cleared away, and its owner decides to clear it away, he should take the utensil and announce its discovery, even though it is buried. If he discovers small utensils - e.g., a knife, a spit or the like - he should take them and announce their discovery, even though they were buried.
ז
מצא באשפה כלי מכוסה הרי זה לא יגע בו כמו שביארנו. ואם אשפה שאינה עשויה להתפנות היא ונמלך עליה לפנותה אע"פ שמצאו מכוסה נוטל ומכריז. וכן אם היו כלים קטנים כגון סכין ושפוד וכיוצא בהן אפילו היו מכוסין באשפה הקבועה נוטל ומכריז:
8
If a person finds scattered produce that appears to have been intentionally placed down, he should not touch it. If it appears that it has fallen, he may keep it.
Similarly, if he finds small sheaves of grain in the public domain, he may keep them, for they do not have a mark. The same applies if he finds cakes of pressed figs, a baker's loaves, a string of fish, pieces of meat, raw wool as it comes from the country, bundles of flax or stretches of purple wool, for they also do not have marks by which they can be identified.
If an item has a mark by which it can be identified, the finder should take it and announce its discovery. Although the mark will ultimately be worn off by trampling, it is still considered a valid mark of identification.
ח
מצא פירות מפוזרין דרך הנחה לא יגע בהן. דרך נפילה ב הרי הן שלו. וכן אם מצא כריכות קטנות של שבולים ברשות הרבים שהרי אין בהן סימן או שמצא עיגולי דבילה וככרות של נחתום ומחרוזות של דגים וחתיכות של בשר וגיזי צמר הבאות ממדינתן ואניצי פשתן ולשונות של ארגמן הרי אלו שלו מפני שאין בהן סימן. ואם יש בהן סימן נוטל ומכריז שסימן העשוי לידרס הרי הוא סימן:
9
If, however, a person finds bread baked by an ordinary person,wool that has been dyed by a craftsman, jugs of wine or jugs of oil, he is obligated to announce their discovery, for all these articles possess distinctive marks by which they can be identified.
If, however, this occurs during the season when the stores of wine and oil are opened, the jugs belong to the finder even when the seal is marked. For all the jugs will be marked in the same fashion. The jugs will thus resemble loaves of bread coming from a baker, which all possess a standard shape and weight.
ט
אבל אם מצא ככרות של בעל הבית וגיזי צמר הלקוחות מבית האומן כדי יין וכדי שמן חייב להכריז שכל אלו יש להם סימנין ג מובהקין ואם נפתחו האוצרות של יין ושל שמן הרי אלו שלו. ואע"פ שהם רשומין. שכל הכדות כך היו רשומות ונמצאו אלו הכדין כככרות הנחתום שיש צורה אחת לכולן ומשקל אחד לכולם:
10
The following laws apply if a person finds small sheaves in a private domain: If it appears that they have fallen, he may keep them. If it appears that they have been intentionally placed there, he must announce their discovery.
The rationale is that although they do not have a mark by which they can be identified, the place where they are discovered can serve as a mark of identification, even though it is not a distinctive mark of identification.
If he finds large sheaves, whether in the private domain or in the public domain, he should take them and announce their discovery.
י
מצא כריכות ברשות היחיד אם דרך נפילה הרי אלו שלו. ואם דרך הנחה חייב להכריז שאף על פי שאין להם סימן המקום סימן (אע"פ שאינו סימן מובהק). מצא אלומות בין ברשות היחיד בין ברשות הרבים נוטל ומכריז:
11
If a person finds a cake of pressed figs that contain a shard, a loaf of bread that contains a coin, a piece of meat that is cut in an abnormal fashion, a fish that has been bitten and any similar item, he is obligated to announce their discovery. The rationale is that they possess an abnormal factor, and we can assume that their owner did this only so that it would serve as a mark of identification.
יא
מצא עיגול ובתוכו חרש. ככר ובתוכו מעות. חתיכה של בשר שהוא משונה בחתיכות. דג נשוך וכן כל כיוצא באלו הואיל ויש בהן שינוי חייב להכריז שלא עשאום בעליהן אלא לסימן:
12
The following rules apply when a person finds scattered fruit in the place of the grain heaps. If there was a measure approximately the size of a kav in a square four cubits by four cubits or in a larger area, it may be kept by the finder. The rationale is that the owners will no longer trouble themselves to collect it.
If the produce was scattered in a smaller space, a finder should not touch it, for perhaps it was intentionally left there by the owner.
Our Sages were in doubt with regard to the following situations: If half a kav was left in a square two cubits by two cubits, two kabbim in a square eight cubits by eight cubits, or a kav of two or three types of produce - e.g., dates, sesame seeds and pomegranates in a square four by four. Therefore, at the outset, one should not take such produce. If, however, one takes it, one is not obligated to announce its discovery.
יב
מצא פירות מפוזרין במקום הגרנות אם היו כמו קב בתוך ארבע אמות או ביתר על ארבע אמות הרי אלו שלו מפני שאין הבעלים מטפלים באסיפתן. היו מפוזרין בפחות מארבע אמות לא יגע בהן שמא הבעלים הניחום שם. היו כמו חצי קב בשתי אמות או קבים בשמונה אמות או שהיה הקב משנים ושלשה מינין כמו תמרים שומשמין [ורמונים] כל אלו ספק לפיכך לא יטול ואם נטל אינו חייב להכריז:
13
A person who finds a collection of fruit, fruit in a container, or an empty container is obligated to announce the discovery of these objects.
If one finds a container with fruit in front of it, one may keep the fruit, but one must announce the discovery of the utensil. For it is likely that the utensil belongs to one person and the produce to another, and there is no mark by which to identify the produce. If it appears that the produce and the container belong to the same person, one must also announce the discovery of the produce.
יג
המוצא ציבורי פירות או פירות בכלי או כלי כמות שהוא חייב להכריז. מצא כלי ולפניו פירות הרי אלו שלו הפירות. והכלי נוטל ומכריז. שאני אומר הכלי של אחד והפירות של אחר והרי אין בו סימן. ואם מראין הדברים שהן של אדם אחד חייב להכריז:
14
What is implied? If the back of the container is facing the produce, he may keep the produce. If, however, the front of the container is facing the produce, we suspect that the produce fell from the container. Nevertheless, even in such a situation, if the container has a rim, and it is totally empty, the finder may keep the produce. For if it had fallen from the container, the rim would have caused something to remain. If some fruit were in the container and some were on the ground, the finder is obligated to announce the discovery of the entire amount.
יד
כיצד היו אחורי הכלי לפני הפירות הרי אלו שלו. היו פני הכלי לפני הפירות חוששין שמא מן הכלי נשפכו. ואם היו אגנים לכלי אע"פ שפניו כלפי הפירות הרי אלו שלו שאילו נשפכו מן הכלי היה נשאר מהן בתוכו מפני האגנים. ב היו מקצת הפירות בכלי ומקצתן בארץ חייב להכריז:
15
When a person finds berries set out to dry in the road, even if he finds them next to a field of berries, they may be kept by the finder. Similarly, when a berry bush hangs over a road and berries are found under it, one is permitted to take them; the prohibition against robbery does not apply.
The rationale for these rulings is that a berry becomes repulsive when it falls in the dust. Such berries are considered ownerless, and thus there is no requirement that a tithe should be given. These concepts do not apply to olives, carobs and other similar fruit; they are forbidden to be taken by the finder.
טו
המוצא קציעות בדרך ואפילו בצד שדה קציעות הרי אלו שלו. וכן תאנה שהיא נוטה לדרך ונמצאו תאנים תחתיה מותרות משום גזל. שהתאנה וכיוצא בה עם נפילתה נמאסת. ופטורות משום מעשר. אבל זיתים וחרובין וכיוצא בהן אסורין:
16
Dates that are blown off a tree by the wind may be taken, for we assume that the owners forgo ownership over them in favor of anyone who finds them. If, however, they belong to orphans below the age of majority, they are forbidden to be taken, because a minor does not have the legal prerogative to waive his ownership over property.
Similarly, if the owner of the field takes care not to lose any of his produce and has surrounded the trees with a fence or put nets under the trees so that the fruit that drops should fall there until he gathers them, it is forbidden to take this fruit, for he has shown that he is not willing to forgo ownership.
טז
תמרים שמשירן הרוח מותרות שהבעלים מחלום לכל אדם וזהו חזקתן. ואם היו של יתומים שאינן בני מחילה אסורין. וכן אם הקפיד בעל השדה והקיף מקום האילנות או תיקן מקום שיפלו בו הנובלות עד שילקטם הרי אלו אסורות שהרי גילה דעתו שלא מחל:
17
A perverse cat that kills young children may not be kept by its owner. Hence, taking it from its owner is not considered robbery, nor is one obligated to return it, even though its hide has some worth. Instead, whoever finds it acquires it. He should kill it, and the hide belongs to him.
יז
חתול רע שהורג את הקטנים אסור לקיימו ואין בו משום גזל ואין בו משום השב אבדה אע"פ שעורו מועיל אלא כל המוצאו זכה בו והורגו והעור שלו:
18
The following laws apply to a young dove that is found close to a dovecote. If it is found within 50 cubits of the dovecote, it belongs to the owner of the dovecote. If it is found beyond 50 cubits of the dovecote, it belongs to whoever finds it, for a young dove does not hop more than 50 cubits.
If a young dove is found between two dovecotes, it is granted to the owner of the closer one. If it is found midway between the two, its value should be divided.
When does the above apply? When there are an equal number of doves in each dovecote. But if there are more doves in one dovecote than another, we assume that it came from the majority, even though it is further away.
יח
גוזל הנמצא קרוב לשובך בתוך חמשים אמה הרי הוא של בעל השובך חוץ לחמשים אמה הרי הוא של מוצאו שאין הגוזל מדדה יתר על חמשים אמה. נמצא בין שני שובכות הרי הוא של קרוב. מחצה למחצה יחלוקו. במה דברים אמורים כשהיו יוני שתי השובכות שוים במנין. אבל אם היו יוני האחד רבים הלך אחר הרוב אע"פ שהוא רחוק:
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
• English Text | Video Class
Monday, Tammuz 9, 5777 · 03 July 2017
"Today's Day"
Monday, Tamuz 9, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Balak, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 49-54.
Tanya: Ch. 12. (Although (p. 337) ...themselves are created. (p. 339).
The greatest guaranteed assurance (of Divine assistance) for all Jewish parents in need of special help and deliverance1 for their children is through their support of those who study Torah.
FOOTNOTES
1.From On High.
Daily Thought:
Wall Street Idols
The ancients looked up at the heavens and gazed at the stars in their constellations. They honored them as stewards of divine energy and life, as the embodiment of all forces of nature and the origin of human passions.
They were wise, but they were fools—they abandoned the Master for the servant. For in truth there is only One and all else is but a tool in His hand.
Modern man looks up to the headlines of the finance page and sees there all the forces that will make or break his career, his retirement plans, his success as a human being.
He too is a fool, for in truth there is only One and all else is but a tool in His hand. [Torat Menachem 5742, vol. 1, pg. 339. Maamar Bayom Ashtei Asar.]
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