משנה: מָצָא אַחַר הַגַּפָּה אוֹ אַחַר הַגָּדֵר גּוֹזָלוֹת מְקוּשָּׁרִין אוֹ בִשְׁבִילִין שֶׁבַּשָּׂדוֹת הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא יִגַּע בָּהֶן. מָצָא כֶּלִי בָּאֲשָׁפוֹת אִם מְכוּסֶּה לֹא יִגַּע בּוֹ וְאִם מְגוּלֶּה נוֹטֵל וּמַכְרִיז. מָצָא בַגַּל וּבְכוֹתֶל יָשָׁן הֲרֵי אֵילּוּ שֶׁלּוֹ. מָצָא בְכוֹתֶל חָדָשׁ מֵחֶצְיוֹ וּלְחוּץ שֶׁלּוֹ מֵחֶצְיוֹ וְלִפְנִים שֶׁל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת. אִם הָיָה מַשְׂכִּירוֹ לַאֲחֵרִים אֲפִילוּ בְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת הֲרֵי אֵילּוּ שֶׁלּוֹ. MISHNAH: If one found pigeon chicks bound together behind a temporary or permanent fence or on paths between fields41Not easily accessible to the public., he should not touch them42One may not touch other people’s property which possibly was deposited somewhere, neither lost nor abandoned, since, as Maimonides writes (Gezelah wa‘bedah 15:1), in the worst case the owner would lose his property and in the best he would be obligated to provide a distinguishing mark to regain his property.. If one found a vessel on garbage heaps, if it was covered he should not touch it42One may not touch other people’s property which possibly was deposited somewhere, neither lost nor abandoned, since, as Maimonides writes (Gezelah wa‘bedah 15:1), in the worst case the owner would lose his property and in the best he would be obligated to provide a distinguishing mark to regain his property., if in the open he should take it and make it public43An intact vessel usually is not abandoned.. What one found in a heap or an old wall44A wall is old if it no longer shields anything. belongs to him. At a new wall45A stone wall built with niches., from the middle to the outside belongs to him, from the middle to the inside belongs to its owner. If he was renting out to others, even what is inside the house belongs to him46Anything left in a rental apartment after the renter moved out belongs to the landlord..
הלכה: מָצָא אַחַר הַגַּפָּה כול׳. רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר. וּבִלְבַד גּוֹזָלוֹת מְקוּשָּׁרִין בְּכַנְפֵיהֶן. רִבִּי בָּא בַּר זַבְדָּא אַשְׁכַּח חֲמָר מִכְסֵי בַחֲפִיסָה וְנַסְתֵּיהּ. אֲזַל שְׁאַל לְרַב. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. לָא עֲבַדְתָּ טָבוֹת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. חַזְרֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. לָא. דְּנֵימַר אֲתַא מָרֵיהּ בְּעֵי לֵיהּ וְלָא אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ וְאִיתְיַיאַשׁ מִינֵּיהּ. HALAKHAH: “If one found behind a temporary fence”, etc. Rav Jehudah said: Only pigeon chicks tied together at their wings47As the Babli explains, 25b, it was general usage to tie pigeon chicks together at their wings for transport, sale, etc. If these chicks were taken, no distinguishing marks otherwise were available and the owner could never get them back even if the find was advertised.. Rebbi Abba bar Zavda found a ring covered in a box48E reads בחספה “with a potsherd”. L is confirmed by Bava Metzia 25b:8:2" href="/Tosafot_on_Bava_Metzia.25b.8.2">Tosaphot (25b s.v.ואם). and took it. He came and asked Rav, who told him, you did not act correctly. He said, shall I return it? He answered, no, for we might say that his owner came, looked for it, did not find it and gave up hope for it49The Babli, 25b, does not tell the story but quotes its result: R. Abba bar Zavda says in the name of Rav that “if possibly it was deposited, one should not take it, but if he took it, he should not return it.” In Rashi’s interpretation, one has to advertise the find. Following Maimonides (l. c. Bava Metzia 2:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Bava_Metzia.2.4.1">Note 42), the finder keeps it. Ravad disagrees and holds that since the finder took it illegally, he cannot acquire but the object must lie untouched until the prophet Elijah comes and determines the owner. The last two opinions can be read into the Yerushalmi text which notes that the owner probably gave up hope of recovery and, therefore, could not regain the object even when the find was advertised..
תַּנֵּי. מָצָא בָּאַשְׁפָּה חַייָב לְהַכְרִיז. שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הָאַשְׁפָּה לְהִיטַּלְטֵל. מָצָא בַגַּל וּבְכוֹתֶל יָשָׁן הֲרֵי אֵילּוּ שֶׁלּוֹ. שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹמֵר. שֶׁלֶּאֱמוֹרִייִם הָיוּ. תַּנֵּי. מָצָא בֵין פַּסִּים לַפַּסִּים. מִן הָאֲגָף וְלִפְנִים כְּלִפְנִים. מִן הָאֲגָף וּלְחוּץ כִּלְחוּץ. אִם הָיָה מְפוּלָּשׁ לִפְנִים אֲפִילוּ מֵחֶצְיוֹ וּלְחוּץ הֲרֵי אֵילּוּ שֶׁלְּבַעַל הַבַּיִת. אִם הָיָה מְפוּלָּשׁ לְחוּץ אֲפִילוּ מֵחֶצְיוֹ וְלִפְנִים הֲרֵי אֵילּוּ שֶׁלְּמוֹצָאֵיהֶן. It was stated: What one found on a garbage heap he has to make public, for garbage is moved50Also quoted in the Babli, 25b; Tosephta 2:11. S. Lieberman explains that, in contrast to the garbage heap in the public domain mentioned in the Mishnah, one speaks here of a private garbage heap which periodically is emptied into a landfill. Therefore, everything lying there is either abandoned or lost and must be taken and advertised.. What one found in a heap or an old wall44A wall is old if it no longer shields anything. belongs to him, for I am saying that it belonged to the Emorites51Tosephta 2:12. Archeological finds are ownerless and can be taken by the finder.. It was stated52A similar, but not necessarily compatible, text is in Tosephta 2:13.: If one found between planks53A temporary fence made of wooden planks. The planks do not touch but are placed close enough to one another that no goat can pass between them. The problem is the status of the empty spaces between the planks., from the door and inside is like inside, from the door and outside is like outside. If it was opening to the inside, even from from the middle to the outside belongs to the owner of the property; if it was opening to the outside, even from the middle to the inside belongs to the finders.
הָיָה מַשְׂכִּירָן לַאֲחֵרִים אֲפִילוּ מָצָא בְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת הֲרֵי אֵילּוּ שֶׁלּוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה. בְּפוּנְדָק אִיתְפַּלְּגוֹן. אֲבָל בֶּחָצֵר כָּל־עַמָּא מוֹדוּ שֶׁחַייָב לְהַכְרִיז. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. בֶּחָצֵר אִיתְפַּלְּגוֹן. אֲבָל בְּפוּנְדָק כָּל־עַמָּא מוֹדוּ שֶׁהוּא שֶׁלְּמוֹצָאוֹ. “If he was renting out to others, even what is inside the house belongs to him.”54This quote is not really connected with the following, which refers to Tosephta 2:2, in which R. Simeon ben Eleazar states that “what is saved from the mouth of a lion or a wolf, from the surge of the ocean or a river, or found on a public thoroughfare, belongs to the finder since the owners had given up hope.” Since this is stated as an individual opinion, it follows that the anonymous majority require publication in all cases. Rebbi Jeremiah says, they disagree about a hostelry55Greek πανδοκεῖον, τό., but in a courtyard everybody agrees that he is required to make it public. Rebbi Yose said, they disagree about a courtyard, but in a hostelry everybody agrees that it belongs to its finder.