Shemot 22:9-12 שמות כ״ב:ט׳-י״ב

כי יתן איש אל רעהו חמור או שור. פרשה ראשונה נאמרה בשומר חנם (בבא מציעא צד:) לפיכך פטר בו את הגנבה, כמו שכתוב וגונב מבית האיש אם לא ימצא הגנב ונקרב בעל הבית, לשבועה, למדת שפוטר עצמו בשבועה זו, ופרשה זו אמורה בשומר שכר, לפיכך אינו פטור אם נגנבה, כמו שכתוב אם גנוב יגנב מעמו ישלם, אבל על האונס, כמו מת מעצמו, או נשבר, או נשבה בחזקה על ידי לסטים, ואין רואה יעיד בדבר:

If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox. The first section deals with a שׁוֹמֵר חִנָּם — a watchman who receives no compensation. He is, therefore, not held responsible for theft (i.e., if the item is stolen from him), as is written: “[If a man gives his neighbor...] and they are stolen from the house of the watchman.” “If the thief is not found then the house-owner (the watchman) must come,” to swear. You learn from this that he (the watchman) frees himself [from any responsibility] with this oath. But this section deals with a שׁוֹמֵר שָֹכָר (a watchman compensated for his work), who is not freed from responsibility if [the item to be watched] is stolen, as is written: “But if it was indeed stolen from him he must make restitution.” However, for something over which he has no control, as in a case where it (an animal) died of itself, or was injured, or was forcibly taken by robbers, and there is no one who saw it happen so as to be able to testify about the matter, then —

שבעת ה' תהיה. ישבע שכן הוא כדבריו, והוא לא שלח בה יד להשתמש בה לעצמו, שאם שלח בה יד ואחר כך נאנסה, חייב באונסים:

An oath to Adonoy shall be. He shall swear that it is as he claims and that he did not lay a hand on it to make any personal use of it. For had he laid a hand on it and afterwards an accident happened to it he is liable for those accidents.

ולקח בעליו. השבועה:

The owner must accept it. [I.e., he must accept] the oath.

ולא ישלם. לו השומר כלום:

And he need not make restitution. [I.e., the watchman need not make restitution] to him at all.

אם טרף יטרף. על ידי חיה רעה:

If it was torn — by a wild animal.

יבאהו עד. יביא עדים שנטרפה באונס ופטור:

He must provide witnesses. [I.e.,] he shall bring [two] witnesses that it was torn apart [in a way that was] beyond his control and he will then not be liable to pay restitution.

הטרפה לא ישלם. אינו אומר טרפה לא ישלם, אלא הטרפה, יש טרפה שהוא משלם ויש טרפה שאינו משלם, טרפת חתול ושועל ונמיה משלם, טרפת זאב ארי ודוב ונחש אינו משלם, ומי לחשך לדון כן, שהרי כתיב ומת או נשבר או נשבה, מה מיתה שאין יכול להציל, אף שבר ושביה שאין יכול להציל:

He need not pay for that which was torn apart. It does not say: טְרֵפָה לֹא יְשַׁלֵּם (he need not pay for [any] one which was torn): but, rather, it says: הַטְּרֵפָה [for this one that was torn). [This indicates that] there is a torn one for which he must pay, and there is a torn one for which he need not pay: For one that was torn apart by a cat, fox, or marten he must pay restitution. Whereas, for one that was torn apart by a wolf, lion, bear, or snake, he need not pay. But who whispered to you to come to these conclusions? Because it is written: “and it dies, or is injured, or is captured.” Just as [the animal’s] dying naturally is something he cannot prevent, so, too, the case of injury and captivity [must be such] that he had no way of preventing it.