Midrash for Bava Metzia 55:2
אלא אמר רבא סימנין דאורייתא דכתיב (דברים כב, ב) והיה עמך עד דרוש אחיך אותו וכי תעלה על דעתך שיתננו קודם שידרשנו אלא דרשהו אם רמאי הוא או אינו רמאי לאו בסימנין שמע מינה
here too, [is then the reason] because the debtor is pleased that they should be returned to the creditor! — But, said Raba, identification marks are Biblically valid, because it is written, And it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it. Now, would it then have occurred to you that he should return it to him before he sought it! But [it means this:] examine him [the claimant], whether he be a fraud or not.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 169 for notes. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
Sifrei Devarim
"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.)
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