Study Bava Metzia folio 28A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אלא הא דתנן: מצא תכריך של שטרות או אגודה של שטרות – הרי זה יחזיר, הכי נמי דניחא ליה ללוה לאהדורי ליה למלוה?
The Talmud asks: But there is that which we learned in that Mishnah (20a): If one found a roll of documents or a bundle of documents, he should return the documents to whomever describes the roll and the bundle, which serve as distinguishing marks. Would one say that so too, if one returns lost items on the basis of distinguishing marks due to the tacit agreement of the owners, it is satisfactory to the debtor to have the documents returned to the creditor?
אלא אמר רבא: סימנין דאורייתא, דכתיב: ״והיה עמך עד דרש אחיך אתו״, וכי תעלה על דעתך שיתננו קודם שידרשנו?! אלא דרשהו אם רמאי הוא או אינו רמאי. לאו בסימנין? שמע מינה.
Rather, Rava said: Identification of an item on the basis of distinguishing marks is by Torah law, as it is written: “And if your brother be not near you, and you know him not, then you should bring it into your house, and it should be with you until your brother claims [derosh] it, and you should return it to him” (Deuteronomy 22:2). Would it enter your mind that he would give the lost item to him before he claims it? How can the finder return it if he does not know the identity of the owner? Rather, the verb derosh is not referring to the claim of the owner; it is referring to the scrutiny performed by the finder. Scrutinize him [darshehu] to determine whether the claimant is a swindler or whether he is not a swindler. Only then may you return the lost item to him. What, is it not that the one who claims the lost item proves that he is not a swindler on the basis of distinguishing marks that he provides? Rava affirms: Conclude from it that identification of an item on the basis of distinguishing marks is by Torah law.