Midrash for Bava Metzia 53:22
ולמאן דאמר ומצאתה הא בעינן אשר תאבד וליכא
to others in general, thus excluding that which is lost to him and is not available to others. And the other, whence does he infer Rabbanai's dictum? — He derives it from, and thou hast found it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [ [H] in the perfect following the imperfect [H] is taken to denote the pluperfect.] ');"><sup>22</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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