Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 22:1/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ב:א׳
אלֹא תִרְאֶה אֶת שׁוֹר אָחִיךָ אוֹ אֶת שֵׂיוֹ נִדָּחִים, זוֹ מִצְוָה מְבֹאֶרֶת, שֶׁאָמַר בַּתּוֹרָה (שמות כג ד) כִּי תִפְגַּע שׁוֹר אֹיִבְךָ אוֹ חֲמֹרוֹ תֹּעֶה הָשֵׁב תְּשִׁיבֶנּוּ לוֹ, וְהוֹסִיף בְּכָאן לֵאמֹר נִדָּחִים, כִּי תּוֹעֶה, שֶׁתָּעָה מִדַּרְכּוֹ וְיָכוֹל לְהַטּוֹתוֹ הַדֶּרֶךְ בְּלֹא עָמָל גָּדוֹל, וְעַתָּה הִזְכִּיר נִדָּחִים, שֶׁבָּרְחוּ מִמֶּנּוּ וְהִרְחִיקוּ. וְהִזְכִּיר שֶׂה שֶׁהוּא כְּאָבֵד, וּלְכָךְ בֵּאֵר בְּכָאן וְאִם לֹא קָרוֹב אָחִיךָ אֵלֶיךָ וְלֹא יְדַעְתּוֹ וַאֲסַפְתּוֹ אֶל תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ, וְאָמַר וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לַחֲמֹרוֹ, שֶׁהוּא בְּהֵמָה טְמֵאָה, וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ, אע"פ שֶׁאֵין הַשִּׂמְלָה חֲבִיבָה עַל בְּעָלֶיהָ כְּבַעֲלֵי הַחַיִּים וְאֵין הַהֶפְסֵד בָּהּ מָצוּי כְּבָהֶם שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיָּמוּתוּ, וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכָל אֲבֵדַת אָחִיךָ, מִכָּל כְּלֵי בֵּיתוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָן חֲבִיבִין כְּשִׂמְלָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר יְכַסֶּה בָּהּ. וְעַל מִדְרַשׁ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ספרי מה ב"מ ל) הוֹסִיף עוֹד בְּכָאן דְּבָרִים רַבִּים, כְּגוֹן וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ, פְּעָמִים שֶׁאַתָּה מִתְעַלֵּם; הָשֵׁב, אֲפִלּוּ מֵאָה פְּעָמִים (ב"מ לא); תְּשִׁיבֵם, אֲפִלּוּ לְגִנָּתוֹ וּלְחֻרְבָּתוֹ (שם); וְהַחְזִירָהּ בְּסִימָנִים, וּדְבָרִים אֲחֵרִים נִדְרָשִׁים בַּפָּרָשָׁה:
1THOU SHALT NOT SEE THY BROTHER’S OX OR HIS SHEEP RUNNING AWAY. This is a commandment explanatory of what He stated in the Torah, If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.122 Here he added [that the commandment to return lost property refers also to an animal that was] running away, for going astray122 implies that it merely strayed from its path and he can turn it [back] into the path without great effort; and now he mentioned running away, meaning that it escaped from him and is distant from the owner. He mentioned the term sheep for that is liable to be lost,123. and therefore he explained here, And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, and thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it home to thy house.124 He stated, And so shalt thou do with his ass,125 which is an unclean animal; and so shalt thou do with his garment,125 even though a garment is not as dear to its owner as are living creatures, and [total] loss is not as common in a garment as it is in animals which may die. And so shalt thou do with every lost thing of thy brother’s which he hath lost,125 meaning any of his household vessels even though they are not as dear to him as his garment with which he covers himself. And according to the interpretation of our Rabbis he added here many things, such as and thou hide thyself from them,126 which the Rabbis interpreted to mean:127 “Sometimes you are permitted to hide yourself from them [and ignore the lost article such as where the finder is an elder and it would be degrading for him to attend thereto, as for example to drive an ass back to its owner]. ‘Hasheiv’ (returning),128 you are to do it even a hundred times; ‘teshiveim’ (thou art to return them),128 even to his garden or deserted house” [i.e., the finder is not obligated to notify the owner that the article has been returned. The requirement that] return be made by [identification of the lost item and description of] its distinctive marks, and other matters are also derived from this section.