Midrash for Bava Metzia 53:21
אלא פרוטה שהוקרה איכא בינייהו מאן דאמר ומצאתה איכא ומאן דאמר אשר תאבד ליכא
Whence do we know that a lost article swept away by a river is permitted [to the finder]? From the verse, <i>'And so shalt thou do with all the lost things of thy brother which shall be lost to him and thou hast found it'</i>: [this implies.] that which is lost to him but is available<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'found.' ');"><sup>21</sup></span>
Sifrei Devarim
"And thus shall you do with his ass and thus shall you do with his garment": This tells me of these only. Whence do I derive (the same for) other lost objects? From (Ibid.) "and thus shall you do with every lost object of your brother." If so, why is "garment" singled out? Is it not included with all the rest? To serve as the basis for a comparison, viz.: Just as a garment is characterized by possessing (identifying) signs and claimants, thus all objects that are thus characterized (must, if found, be publicized for the owners to come forward).
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