Concerns of Theft
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Question
Hello, Honorable Rabbi, Every evening before Rosh Hashanah, I recall various events from my life and am unsure if it constitutes theft. It is also difficult and embarrassing to contact people. For example, many years ago, a family was in our apartment, and they forgot a hair tie - not a simple one, but not too special either. Do I need to find out who exactly was in the apartment and pay them?
Answer
Hello,
The case you mentioned is not theft, but rather the return of a lost item.
In such a case, when it involves a cheap and useful item, it is reasonable to assume that the owner despaired before you found the hair tie.
However, in general, in situations where a person has money and cannot find the owner , the solution recommended by our teacher, Rabbi shlita, is to give the money as a deposit in a Gemach fund, as a deposit for the owner of the money, so that currently the money belongs to the lost owner, and in the meantime, the money accrues merits for him.