Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia 1.4

משנה: רָאָה אֶת הַמְּצִיאָה וְנָפַל עָלֶיהָ וּבָא אַחֵר וְהֶחֱזִיק בָּהּ זֶה שֶׁהֶחֱזִיק בָּהּ זָכָה בָהּ. רָאָה אוֹתָן רָצִין אַחַר מְצִיאָה אַחַר צְבִי שָׁבוּר אַחַר גּוֹזָלוֹת שֶׁלֹּא פֵירֵיחוּ וְאָמַר זָכָת לִי שָׂדִי זָכָת לוֹ. הָיָה צְבִי רָץ כְּדַרְכּוֹ אוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ גוֹזָלוֹת מִפְרִיחִין וְאָמַר זָכָת לִי שָׂדִי לֹא אָמַר כְּלוּם.

MISHNAH: If somebody saw a find and fell upon it when another person grabbed it, the one who grabbed it acquired it. If one saw people running after a find, after an injured deer, after young pigeons unable to fly, and he said: “my field shall acquire it for me”, it acquired it for him. If the deer was running normally, or the pigeons were flying, and he said: “my field shall acquire it for me”, he did not say anything.

הלכה: רָאָה אֶת הַמְּצִיאָה כול׳. רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר אַבָּא כֹהֵן בַּר דְּלָיָיה. אָדָם זָכָה בַמְּצִיאָה בְּתוֹךְ ד̇ אמּוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. וְהוּא שֶׁתִּפּוֹל לְתוֹךְ יָדוֹ. מַתְנִיתָה פְלִיגָא עַל רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ. נָטַל מִקְּצַת הַפֵּיאָה וְזָרַק בַּשְּׁאָר אֵין לוֹ בָּהּ כְּלוּם. אָמַר. תִּיפְתָּר בְּשֶׁלֹּא אָמַר. יִזְכּוּ לִי בְד̇ אַמּוֹת שֶׁלִּי. וָמוֹר דְּבַתְרָהּ. נָפַל עָלֶיהָ וּפָרַס טַלִּיתוֹ עָלֶיהָ מַעֲבִירִין אוֹתוֹ מִמֶּנָּהּ. עוֹד הִיא בְּשֶּׁלֹּא אָמַר. יִזְכּוּ לִי בְד̇ אַמּוֹת שֶּׁלִּי. וְהָתַנֵּי רִבִּי חִיָיה. שְּׁנַיִם שֶּׁהָיוּ מִתְכַּתְּשִּׁין בָּעוֹמֶר וּבָא עָנִי וַחֲטָפוֹ מִלִּפְנֵיהֶן זָכָה בוֹ. עוֹד הִיא בְּשֶּׁלֹּא אָמַר. יִזְכּוּ לִי בְד̇ אַמּוֹת שֶּׁלִּי. וְהָתַנִּינָן. רָאָה אֶת הַמְּצִיאָה וְנָפַל עָלֶיהָ וּבָא אַחֵר וְהֶחֱזִיק בָּהּ. זֶה שֶׁהֶחֱזִיק בָּהּ זָכָה בָהּ. עוֹד הִיא בְּשֶּׁלֹּא אָמַר. יִזְכּוּ לִי בְד̇ אַמּוֹת שֶּׁלִּי. וְהָתַנִּינָן. קָרוֹב לָהּ מְגוֹרֶשֶׁת. קָרוֹב לוֹ אֵינָהּ מְגוֹרֶשֶׁת. מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה מְגוֹרֶשֶׁת וְאֵינָהּ מְגוֹרֶשֶׁת. חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר. בִּשְׂכַר הַלִּיבֶּלָּר הִיא מַתְנִיתָא. הָתִיבוֹן. וְהָכְתִיב וַאֲנִי בְּעוֹנְיִי הֲכִינוֹתִי וגו׳. וְהֵיכִי. אִם בִּנְתוּנִּין בְּתוֹךְ יָדוֹ עָשִׁיר הוּא. אִי בְּשֶׁאֵינָן נְתוּנִּין לְתוֹךְ יָדוֹ יֵשׁ אָדָם מַקְדִּישׁ דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ. הֲוֵי אוֹמֵר. בִּנְתוּנִּין בְּתוֹךְ ד̇ אַמּוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי אָבִין. מַהוּ בְּעוֹנְיִי. שֶׁאֵין עֲשִׁירוּת לִפְנֵי מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם. דָּבָר אַחֵר. שֶׁהָיָה מִתְעַנֶּה וּמַקְדִּישׁ סְעוּדָתוֹ לַשָּׁמַיִם.

HALAKHAH: “If somebody saw a find” etc. Rabbi Simeon ben Laqish said [in the name of] Abba Cohen bar Delaiah: A person acquires a find within four cubits from himself. Rebbi Joḥanan said, only if it fell into his hand. A Mishnah disagrees with Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: “If he took some of the peah and threw it on the rest, he has nothing of it.” He answered: Explain it if the did not say that his four cubits should acquire it for him. But does it not say afterwards: “If he fell on it or spread his talith on it, one removes him from it?” That is the same, if he did not say that his four cubits should acquire it for him. But did not Rebbi Ḥiyya state: “If two were pushing one another because of a sheaf and another poor person came and grabbed it from before them, he is entitled to it.” It is the same; he did not say that his four cubits should acquire it for him. But did we not state: “If somebody saw a find and fell upon it when another person grabbed it, the one who grabbed it acquired it.” It is the same, he did not say that his four cubits should acquire it for him. But did we not state: “If it landed close to her it is a bill of divorce, close to him it is no bill of divorce, half and half she is divorced and not divorced.” Ḥizqiah said, the Mishnah speaks of the scribe’s fee. They objected: Is it not written: “I in my poverty did prepare”? How is that? If it was in his possession, he was rich. If it was not in his possession, how can a person dedicate what is not his? It must be that it was within four cubits from him. Rebbi Abin said, what means “in my poverty?” That there is no wealth before Him Who commanded and the world came into existence! Another explanation: he fasted and donated the price of his meal to Heaven.

תַּנֵּי. הָאוֹמֵר. יִזְכֶּה לִי בֵיתִי בִּמְצִיאָה שֶׁנָּפְלָה לְתוֹכָהּ. לֹא אָמַר כְּלוּם. יָצָא שֵׁם לִמְצִיאָתוֹ דְּבָרָיו קַיָימִין. כְּהָדָא אָרִיסֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי בָּא בַּר מִינָא סְלִיק לְדִיקְלָא אַשְׁכָּח גּוֹזָלִין וְנַסְתּוֹן. אֲזַל שְׁאִל לְרַב. לֹא אָמַר לֵיהּ כְּלוּם. אֲזַל חֲזַר. אָמַר רִבִּי בָּא בַּר מִינָא. קַשְׁיָיא לֹן הֲוִיתָא חֲזָרוּתֵי יֹתֵר מִמְּצִיאָתוֹ.

It was stated: “One who says, my house shall acquire for me any find that fell into it, did not say anything. If the find was known, his words stand.” As in the case of Rebbi Abba bar Mina’s sharecropper who climbed a date palm, found pigeon chicks there, and took them. He went to ask the master, who said nothing to him. He went and returned them. Rebbi Abba bar Mina said, his returning is more difficult for us than his finding.