Mishnah
Mishnah

Related%20passage for Bava Metzia 2:10

מְצָאָהּ בָּרֶפֶת, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב בָּהּ. בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, חַיָּב בָּהּ. וְאִם הָיְתָה בֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, לֹא יִטַּמָּא לָהּ. אִם אָמַר לוֹ אָבִיו, הִטַּמֵּא, אוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ, אַל תַּחֲזִיר, לֹא יִשְׁמַע לוֹ. פָּרַק וְטָעַן, פָּרַק וְטָעַן, אֲפִלּוּ אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה פְעָמִים, חַיָּב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג) עָזֹב תַּעֲזֹב. הָלַךְ וְיָשַׁב לוֹ וְאָמַר, הוֹאִיל וְעָלֶיךָ מִצְוָה, אִם רְצוֹנְךָ לִפְרֹק פְּרֹק, פָּטוּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, עִמּוֹ. אִם הָיָה זָקֵן אוֹ חוֹלֶה, חַיָּב. מִצְוָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה לִפְרֹק, אֲבָל לֹא לִטְעֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, אַף לִטְעֹן. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר, אִם הָיָה עָלָיו יָתֵר עַל מַשָּׂאוֹ, אֵין זָקוּק לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, תַּחַת מַשָּׂאוֹ, מַשְּׂאוֹי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַעֲמֹד בּוֹ:

If he found it in the stall, [ even if it is unguarded there, as when the stall is unlocked ], he need not return it. (If he found it) in the public domain, he is obliged to do so. And if it were in the graveyard, [and he were a Cohein], he may not make himself unclean for it. [For returning an aveidah is a positive commandment, viz. (Deuteronomy 22:1): "Return shall you return them to your brother," and the uncleanliness of a Cohein (involves transgression of) the positive commandment of (Leviticus 21:6): "Holy shall you be," and the negative commandment of (Ibid. 1): "For a dead body he shall not become unclean among his people." And a positive commandment does not override a negative and a positive commandment. If his father said to him: "Become unclean" (to return an aveidah), or if he said to him: "Do not return it" [and the aveidah were in a place where it is a mitzvah to return it], he should not heed him, it being written (Ibid. 19:3): "A man, his mother and his father you shall fear, and my Sabbaths you shall keep": If your father tells you to desecrate the Sabbath, do not heed him. The same is true for all of the mitzvoth.] If he unloaded and loaded (a beast), unloaded and loaded, even four or five times, he is liable (to continue doing so), it being written (Exodus 23:5): "Help shall you help." If he (the owner of the ass) went and sat down (doing nothing), telling him: "Since it is your mitzvah, if you want to unload, unload," he is exempt, it being written (Ibid.): "with him." But if he (the owner) were old or sick, he is obligated (to perform the mitzvah by himself.) It is a mitzvah of the Torah to unload [gratis], but not to load [gratis, but for pay]. R. Shimon says: Also to load [gratis. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Shimon.] R. Yossi Haglili says: If it were bearing more than its (bearable) burden, he is not obligated, it being written (Ibid.): "under its burden" — a burden that it can bear. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yossi.]

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