Ki Seitzei 22:03 · unit 4

TT #122 · 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
אֲשֶׁר תֹּאבַד מִמֶּנּוּ – פְּרָט לְמֵאָה מִמֶּנּוּ.

English: “That he loses from him” — excluding [an object that has been] abandoned by him.

On the daf / in context: The phrase is used to exclude objects whose owner has deliberately given up hope of recovery (yi’ush).

Type of Learning

Limiting derash (mi’ut) excluding abandoned property.

What Is Learned

The obligation to return applies only to objects that the owner has not yet abandoned; once yi’ush occurs, the biblical duty no longer applies.