How Should One Publicize That He Found an Aveidah?

Rav Baruch Fried

Question: We said in the previous segment that a shomer aveidah has an obligation to make a hachrazah. What exactly does that entail?

Answer: In the times of the Bais Hamikdosh, when people were Oleh Regel, there was a system in place wherein there was a designated area to announce that items were lost or found. The Gemara says that once the Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed, Chazal enacted to announce the finding of a lost item in shuls and batei medrash. Nowadays, Poskim say that one can put up signs in public areas, such as in shuls or next to the elevator in the building where the item was found. That is typically the way to do it.

There is a question of whether one has to put ads in newspapers notifying the public that he found an aveidah. The Poskim say that one doesn’t have to do this. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that placing an ad may not be the most effective way to find the owner, in which case, the owner would not be obligated to reimburse the finder for the cost of the unnecessary ad. Since there is a risk that the finder may not get his money back, he does not have to pay for an ad.