Sifrei Devarim 223

ואם לא קרוב. [שיכול] אין לי אלא קרוב, רחוק מנין? תלמוד לומר [ואם לא קרוב. אין לי אלא רחוק וקרוב שמכירו, אם אין מכירו מנין? תלמוד לומר ולא ידעתו].

(Devarim 22:2) "And if your brother is not near to you, and you do not know him, etc." "And if your brother is not near": I might think (that the halachah obtains) only if he is not near. Whence do I derive (that it obtains even) if he is far? From "And if your brother is not near to you." This tells me only of one who is far or near, when he knows. Whence do we derive (that the same obtains with) one whom he does not know? From "and you do not know him."

ואספתו. [מציאה שדרכה להאסף, להביא השבורה]. אל תוך ביתך. ולא לבית אחר.

"then you shall gather it": a lost object which is "gathered": to include what is broken. "and it shall be with you": in your domain.

והיה עמך עד דרוש אחיך אותו. (ב"מ כח) וכי עלתה על דעתך, שאתה נותן לו, עד שלא יתן סימניו! אם כן למה נאמר עד דרוש אחיך אותו? עד שתדרוש את אחיך, אם רמאי הוא, אם אינו רמאי.

"until your brother inquires concerning it": Would it enter your mind to give it to him without his giving identifying signs? Why, then, is it written "until your brother inquires concerning it"? (The meaning must be, then,) "until you make inquiry concerning your brother" (to ascertain) whether or not he is a deceiver, (this being a possible construction of the words in the Hebrew.)

[והשבותו לו. ראה היאך תשיבנו לו, שלא יאכיל עגל לעגלים, סייח לסייחים. וכל דבר שעושה ואוכל כגון חמור ופרה, עושה ואוכלת.] והשבותו לו. (ב"ק פט) אף את עצמו אתה משיב.

"and you shall return it to him": Consider how to return it to him. He may not feed "a calf to a calf, a foal to a foal" (i.e., he may not sell one of the animals in his keeping to feed the others.) And any animal which can work and eat (i.e., an animal whose work is worth the cost of its food), such as an ass or a cow, let it work and eat. "and you shall return it (also readable as "him") to him": He himself must be returned to him (if he is lost).