Commentary for Bava Metzia 37:18

ורמינהו מצא דייתקאות אפותיקאות ומתנות אע"פ ששניהם מודין לא יחזיר לא לזה ולא לזה

[DEEDS OF] LIBERATION OF SLAVES, etc. Our Rabbis taught: If one finds a deed of liberation in the street, [the law is that] when the master admits [its validity] one shall return it to the slave, [but when] the master does not admit [its validity] one shall not return it to either of them. Thus [we are taught that] when the master admits, [the deed of liberation] is to be returned to the slave — why [is this so]? Ought we not to apprehend that [the master] may have written it with the intention of giving it [to the slave] in Nisan but [in reality] did not give it to him till Tishri, and the slave may have gone and bought property between Nisan and Tishri,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In which case the property would belong to the master, as everything acquired by a slave becomes the possession of his master. ');">¹⁷</span>

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