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Perek 2

Mishnayos Bava Metzia Perek 2 Mishnah 10

בבא מציעא פרק ב׳ משנה י׳

10
If one found an animal in a stable belonging to its owner, he is not obligated to return it to its owner. If he found it in a public area, he is obligated to return it. And if the animal was lost in a graveyard and a priest found it, he may not become impure to return it. If his father said to him: Become impure; or in a case where one was obligated to return the animal and his father said to him: Do not return it, he may not listen to his father, as one may not violate Torah law to honor his father. If one unloaded a burden from an animal collapsing under its weight and then later loaded it onto the animal, and later unloaded and loaded it again, even if this scenario repeats itself four or five times, he is obligated to continue unloading and loading, as it is stated: “If you see the donkey of him that hates you collapsed under its burden, you shall forgo passing him by; you shall release it [azov ta’azov] with him” (Exodus 23:5). It is derived from the verse that one is obligated to perform the action as needed, even several times. If the owner went, and sat, and said to a passerby: Since there is a mitzva incumbent upon you to unload the burden, if it is your wish to unload the burden, unload it, in such a case the passerby is exempt, as it is stated: “You shall release it with him,” with the owner of the animal. If the failure of the owner to participate in unloading the burden was due to the fact he was old or infirm, the passerby is obligated to unload the burden alone. There is a mitzva by Torah law to unload a burden, but there is no mitzva to load it. Rabbi Shimon says: There is even a mitzva to load the burden. Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: If there was a burden upon the animal greater than its typical burden, one need not attend to it, as it is stated: “Under its burden,” i.e., the obligation is with regard to a burden that the animal can bear.

מְצָאָהּ בָּרֶפֶת, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב בָּהּ. בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, חַיָּב בָּהּ. וְאִם הָיְתָה בֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, לֹא יִטַּמָּא לָהּ. אִם אָמַר לוֹ אָבִיו, הִטַּמֵּא, אוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ, אַל תַּחֲזִיר, לֹא יִשְׁמַע לוֹ. פָּרַק וְטָעַן, פָּרַק וְטָעַן, אֲפִלּוּ אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה פְעָמִים, חַיָּב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג) עָזֹב תַּעֲזֹב. הָלַךְ וְיָשַׁב לוֹ וְאָמַר, הוֹאִיל וְעָלֶיךָ מִצְוָה, אִם רְצוֹנְךָ לִפְרֹק פְּרֹק, פָּטוּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, עִמּוֹ. אִם הָיָה זָקֵן אוֹ חוֹלֶה, חַיָּב. מִצְוָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה לִפְרֹק, אֲבָל לֹא לִטְעֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, אַף לִטְעֹן. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר, אִם הָיָה עָלָיו יָתֵר עַל מַשָּׂאוֹ, אֵין זָקוּק לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, תַּחַת מַשָּׂאוֹ, מַשְּׂאוֹי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַעֲמֹד בּוֹ:

י׳

He found it in a stable. Even though it [the animal] isn't secured in it, for example [the stable] isn't locked.

If it was in a cemetary. And he [the finder] is a Kohen. He shouldn't become impure [to retrieve it]. This is because returning a lost object is a positive commandment, "You shall surely return it to your brother". [However,] with impurity for a Kohen, it is the positive commandment of (Leviticus 21:6) "They shall be holy", and the negative commandment of (Leviticus 21:1) "They shall not become impure for a soul of their nation". And a positive commandment does not push aside a positive commandment plus a negative commandment.

Or he says to him don't return it. And the lost item is in a place that it is a mitzvah to [retrieve and] return. He [the finder] should not listen to him [his father]. As it is written (Leviticus 19:3) "A man should fear their mother and father, and my Sabbaths he should guard", [this teaches us] that if your father tells you go and break the Shabbat, don't listen to him. Similarly with all other commandments.

He went and sat down. The owner of the donkey.

It's a commandment from the Torah to unload. for free.

But don't load. for free; rather for pay.

Rabbi Shimon says even load. for free. The halacha is not like Rabbi Shimon.

Rabbi Yossi HaGlili says etc. The halacha is not like Rabbi Yossi.

מצאה ברפת. אע״פ שאינה משתמרת בה כגון שאינה נעולה:

ואם היתה בבית הקברות. והוא כהן. לא יטמא לה. שהשבת אבדה עשה, השב תשיבם לאחיך. ובטומאת כהן, עשה דקדושים יהיו (ויקרא כ״א), ולא תעשה דלנפש לא יטמא בעמיו (שם). ואין עשה דוחה את לא תעשה ועשה:

או שאמר לו אל תחזיר. והאבידה במקום שמצוה להחזיר. הרי זה לא ישמע לו. דכתיב (ויקרא י״ט) איש אמו ואביו תיראו ואת שבתותי תשמרו, שאם אביך אומר לך חלל את השבת אל תשמע לו. וכן בשאר כל המצות:

הלך וישב לו. בעל החמור:

מצוה מן התורה לפרוק. בחנם:

אבל לא לטעון. בחנם. אלא בשכר:

ר״ש אומר אף לטעון. בחנם. ואין הלכה ברבי שמעון:

רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר וכו׳. ואין הלכה כרבי יוסי: