Ki Seitzei 22:03 · unit 8

TT #126 · 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 30a.

Sefaria — Bava Metzia 30a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
לֹא תוּכַל לְהִתְעַלֵּם – הָא אִם נִתְעַלֵּם כְּבָר, פָּטוּר.

English: “You shall not be able to hide yourself” — but if one has already hidden himself, he is exempt.

On the daf / in context: Once a person has passed by and chosen to ignore the object, the ongoing obligation may no longer apply in the same way (subject to further qualifications).

Type of Learning

Derash limiting the temporal scope of the prohibition.

What Is Learned

The prohibition against hiding oneself is directed at the moment of discovery; after one has already passed by, the legal status may change.