Ki Seitzei 22:03 · unit 3

TT #121 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · Second Aliyah · Passuk 22:03

The Complete Passuk

וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכָל־אֲבֵדַת אָחִיךָ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאבַד מִמֶּנּוּ וּמְצָאתָהּ לֹא תוּכַל לְהִתְעַלֵּם׃

And so shall you do with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment, and so shall you do with every lost item of your brother’s that he loses and you find; you shall not be able to hide yourself.

Chabad.org — 22:03

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Bava Metzia 27a.

Sefaria — Bava Metzia 27a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ – מָה שִׂמְלָה מְיֻחֶדֶת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ סִימָנִים וְיֵשׁ לָהּ תּוֹבְעִים, אַף כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ סִימָנִים וְיֵשׁ לוֹ תּוֹבְעִים.

English: “With his garment” — just as a garment is distinctive in that it has identifying marks and has claimants, so too everything that has identifying marks and has claimants.

On the daf / in context: The example of a garment is used to define the category of lost objects that must be returned: those that bear simanim and whose owners are still seeking them.

Type of Learning

Binyan av / comparison from the specific case of a garment.

What Is Learned

Only lost objects that have identifying marks and whose owners are still searching for them fall under the biblical obligation of return.