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Perek 2

Mishnayos Bava Metzia Perek 2 Mishnah 1

בבא מציעא פרק ב׳ משנה א׳

1
In a case where one discovers lost items, which found items belong to him, and for which items is one obligated to proclaim his find so that the owner of the lost items can come and reclaim them? These found items belong to him: If one found scattered produce, scattered coins, bundles of grain in a public area, round cakes of pressed figs, baker’s loaves, strings of fish, cuts of meat, unprocessed wool fleeces that are taken from their state of origin directly after shearing, bound flax stalks, or bound strips of combed purple wool, these belong to him, as they have no distinguishing marks that would enable their owners to claim them. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: If one finds any lost item in which there is an alteration, he is obligated to proclaim his find. How so? If he found a round cake of pressed figs with an earthenware shard inside it or a loaf of bread with coins inside it, he is obligated to proclaim his find, as perhaps the owner of the item inserted them as a distinguishing mark by means of which he could reclaim his property in case it became lost. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: If one finds any anpurya vessels, since their shape is uniform and they are indistinguishable, he is not obligated to proclaim his find.
אֵלּוּ מְצִיאוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ חַיָּב לְהַכְרִיז. אֵלּוּ מְצִיאוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ, מָצָא פֵרוֹת מְפֻזָּרִין, מָעוֹת מְפֻזָּרוֹת, כְּרִיכוֹת בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, וְעִגּוּלֵי דְבֵלָה, כִּכָּרוֹת שֶׁל נַחְתּוֹם, מַחֲרוֹזוֹת שֶׁל דָּגִים, וַחֲתִיכוֹת שֶׁל בָּשָׂר, וְגִזֵּי צֶמֶר הַבָּאוֹת מִמְּדִינָתָן, וַאֲנִיצֵי פִשְׁתָּן, וּלְשׁוֹנוֹת שֶׁל אַרְגָּמָן, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ שֶׁלּוֹ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ שִׁנּוּי, חַיָּב לְהַכְרִיז. כֵּיצַד. מָצָא עִגּוּל וּבְתוֹכוֹ חֶרֶס, כִּכָּר וּבְתוֹכוֹ מָעוֹת. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר, כָּל כְּלֵי אֶנְפּוֹרְיָא אֵינוֹ חַיָּב לְהַכְרִיז:
א׳

These are the findings. He [the finder] found scattered fruit. The unspecified case is that the owner had despair, and they are [now] ownerless.

Scattered Money. Since they don't have a noticeable marking, he [the owner] surely already had despair, and they are [now] ownerless. This is the reason for all of them.

Sheaves. Small sheaves.

In the public domain. Everybody threshes on them, and even if they [the sheaves] had a marker, it [the marker] was lost.

Belonging to a baker. They don't have a marker, since all of them [baker's bread] are the same. However, home-baked bread has a marker.

Brought from the country. [This is] to exclude those brought from a professional, as the next mishnah teaches.

Purple wool. Wool that was died purple, and it was combed to look like a tongue.

He found a cake. Of figs.

Merchandise. New items that aren't familiar looking, and the owner hasn't gotten used to how they look. This is because sometimes lost items are returned just from recognizing them, for example to a scholar who doesn't lie. These items that are known that their owner's haven't gotten used to how they look aren't obligated to be announced. The halacha is like Rabbi Shimon son of Elazar. When [is this true]? When you find them one by one. However, if you find them two by two, you are obligated to announce, since their number is a marker. Someone who finds something in the street, or a large plaza in a city that has a non-Jewish majority, even if it [the item] has a marker, there is no obligation to announce. [However], in a city with a Jewish majority, there is an obligation to announce.

אלו מציאות. מצא פירות מפוזרים. סתמן נתייאשו הבעלים והפקר הם:

מעות מפוזרות. הואיל ואין להם סימן ניכר, כבר איאושי איאוש והפקר הן. והיינו טעמא דכולהו:

כריכות. עמרים קטנים:

ברה״ר. שהכל דשין עליהם, ואפילו היה בהן סימן, נפסד:

של נחתום. אין בהם סימן, שכולם שוים. אבל של בעל הבית יש להם סימן:

הבאות ממדינתן. לאפוקי הבאות מבית האומן, כדקתני סיפא:

ולשונות של ארגמן. צמר צבוע ארגמן, ומשוך כמין לשון:

מצא עיגול. של דבלה:

אנפוריא. כלים חדשים שלא שבעתן העין ואין לבעלים בהם טביעת עין. שפעמים שמחזירים אבדה בטביעות עינא, כגון לצורבא מרבנן דלא משני בדבוריה. ואלו הכלים שידוע שאין לבעליהן בהן טביעות עין אינו חייב להכריז. והלכה כר״ש בן אלעזר. ואימתי בזמן שמצאן אחד אחד. אבל מצאן שנים שנים חייב להכריז, דמנינא הוי סימן. והמוצא מציאה בסרטיא ופלטיא גדולה בעיר שרובה נכרים, אפילו דבר שיש בו סימן אינו חייב להכריז. ובעיר שרובה ישראל, חייב להכריז: