What if You Found a Diamond? The Mitzvah of Returning Lost Objects

Leaving aside religious conviction, local laws, and even secular morality for a moment, consider this question: What would you do if you were homeless and stumbled across a very valuable object that could help you eat and get back on your feet?

A “>in 2009 airlines lost 300,000 bags of luggage, more than half during flight transfers. About 97 percent of these bags were eventually returned to their owners, but about 80,000 bags were eventually given away, offered for sale, or destroyed. In another largely encouraging example, in 2012, the “>400 TSA employees have been fired for stealing items from airline passenger luggage.

The art world, even in the best of times, is filled with fraud, as many art works have “disappeared” from museums and never reappeared, most likely because an unscrupulous art collector has hidden it away in their private quarters. One of the most notorious examples of modern art theft occurred during the Nazi era, when thousands of art objects were stolen from Jewish citizens and museums throughout Europe. In the succeeding decades, many of these objects were returned to the original owners or their descendants, but progress has been slow. In 1998, the United States joined more than 40 other nations in signing the “>Elgin Marbles,” statues taken from the Parthenon in Athens by the British ambassador in the early 19th century and still on display at the British Museum in London, have drawn controversy for some time. The Greek government has requested their return for about 30 years, but the British are adamant that the Parthenon statues belong to the world and that they have the best ability to display them, an argument that betrays a continuing colonial attitude. The UNESCO convention in 1970 established rules (mostly voluntary) restricting the ability of one nation to expropriate property from another country without legal authority, but these rules only cover transactions after 1970.

These types of rules, and people regularly and without fanfare carrying them out, are both a mitzvah in the Jewish sense and a norm that builds trust within and across societies. When one has lost something, it can be very disorienting. If a lost item is returned, it rebuilds ones sense of trust in one’s fellow person. Daily, we see inspiring examples of those who go out of their way to return valuables, while we also see depressing examples of people who claim to be refined, yet behave in a deceitful manner to prevent people from recovering lost goods. Jewish law can teach us much in promoting and achieving a just society, and universal morality and shifting social norms will create needed change. Whatever the source, looking out for our fellows and the worldly possessions that contribute to who we are, the integrity that comes with acquiring something honestly, will ensure deeper societal trust making the world a better place to live.

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz is the Executive Director of the“>Uri L’Tzedek, the Founder and CEO of “>Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century.” Newsweek