Discovering Talmudic Principles
New Talmud Series:
Lost and Found
This Talmud course explores the second chapter of Tractate Bava Metzia, which centers on the obligation to return a lost object to its rightful owner. Through close textual analysis, students will engage with one of the most fundamental questions in Jewish law: When does something truly become “lost”?
A central focus of the course is the Talmudic debate surrounding yi’ush—the halachic concept describing an owner’s complete loss of hope of recovering a lost or stolen item. Under certain circumstances, yi’ush can effect a transfer of ownership to the finder. We will examine how the Talmud defines and applies this concept, and the broader legal and ethical implications that emerge from it.
Tuesdays, Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10 | 7:30-9:00 pm
This course is taught on Zoom
To join us the zoom, please send us an email.
Students joining the class are asked to please turn their camera on.
This requirement is intended to give you the best study experience and we thank you for your cooperation.
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Who Is This Class For?
This class is open to all who are interested in learning Talmud, and new students are warmly welcomed. The material is taught in an accessible and supportive way. At the same time, the course follows an ongoing structure with a steady pace and cumulative learning, through which skills, concepts, and methods of Talmud study are developed over time.
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Lesson 1: Found It—Keep It?
When you find a lost object, when are you obligated to return it, and when may you keep it? This lesson introduces the core principles governing the mitzvah of returning lost property, highlighting the nuanced conditions that determine obligation versus permission.
Lesson 2: Unconscious Despair
This class explores a major Talmudic dispute concerning yi’ush shelo mida’at—“unconscious despair,” such as when money falls from a person’s pocket without their knowledge. We will examine whether future, inevitable despair is sufficient to render an object ownerless, or whether conscious awareness is required.
Lesson 3: Abaye vs. Rava – Part I
We begin an in-depth study of the famous debate between Abaye and Rava on the status of yi’ush shelo mida’at. Students will experience the dynamic process of Talmudic argumentation, as the Gemara attempts to support one position through textual proofs.
Lesson 4: Abaye vs. Rava – Part II
Continuing the debate, this lesson follows the Talmud as it challenges earlier proofs, raises objections, and refines its arguments. Students will gain insight into the rigour and structure of Talmudic reasoning.
Lesson 5: Abaye vs. Rava – Part III
In this lesson, we complete the Talmudic discussion by examining additional proofs and rejections, leading to a deeper understanding of how the Talmud navigates legal uncertainty and conceptual complexity.
Lesson 6: The Roof, the Heavens — 40 and 60
In the final class, we examine the deeper conceptual worlds of Abaye and Rava through a Kabbalistic lens, exploring the story of their childhood response to the question “To whom do we pray?”, the significance of their lifespans of forty and sixty years, and how these ideas shed light on their dispute over yi’ush shelo mida’at.
Instructor: Rabbi Binyomin Bitton
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A project of Chabad of Richmond
