The Mitzvah of returning lost objects - Hashovas Aveidah - is a fundamental part of the Jewish moral code. In Temple times special tables were set up in Jerusalem during the festivals where people could announce lost objects. Here the owner could reclaim their lost property by providing features to identify the object as being theirs. Hashovas Aveidah attests to our sense of honesty and brotherly responsibility. The source of this Mitzvah is found in our Parsha;

You shall not see your brother's ox or sheep straying, and ignore them. Rather, you shall return them to your brother. But if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring it into your house, and it shall be with you until your brother seeks it out, whereupon you shall return it to him. So shall you do with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment, and so shall you do with any lost article of your brother which he has lost and you have found.

The Kabbalists reveal the inner meaning of this Mitzvah. These verses do not just teach us the protocol for returning lost objects, but also how to go about restoring lost souls. Every person is a beloved possession of G-d, but sometimes we get lost and forget to whom we really belong.

Each of us possesses two souls; a G-dly soul and an animalistic soul. The G-dly soul, the 'human' inside of us, is the source of our spiritual, selfless and holy personality. Someone who ignores this dimension of their lives, living only according to their selfish impulses for personal gratification, expresses their inner 'animal'. This is the animal soul whose selfish, materialistic orientation can direct a person away from the search for spirituality and the desire to do good.

Just as physical animals vary, so do their spiritual counterparts. A person's animalistic expression may be like a raging bull with powerful emotions of rage. Or they may be more like the docile sheep, with weaker, yet still animalistic passions. When a person lives purely by their animalistic soul, they lose sight of their Divine purpose. These souls can then be described as having strayed and become lost to their 'Owner'. Yet even in this lost state, these souls remain exclusively to G-d, all they need is a little help to find their way home.

The Torah teaches us that we cannot ignore the spiritually disorientated souls which come our way. We are commanded to return them to their rightful Owner. Through words of rebuke and proper counsel we can set them on the path of repentance to find their way back into G-d's possession. However, this approach of discipline and chastisement only applies when your Brother is near to you - when G-dliness is openly revealed and experienced. At such a time, a misdirected soul is usually an intentional rebel in need of some tough-love.

However, during the darkness of exile our Brother is not near to us. G-d does not openly reveal Himself and we fail to see the true nature and purpose of existence, it is easy for souls to go astray and returning them is not so straightforward. Through no fault of their own, but rather due to darkness, ignorance and circumstance, Jews by the thousands have become disconnected and lost from their home.

In these times, rebuke and authority are not the approach and are unlikely to succeed in redirecting the hearts of our fellow Jews to their 'Brother in Heaven'. Rather, the Torah tells us to take the lost into our homes; not only the houses of study and prayer, but perhaps most importantly our private homes.

The Jewish home is a bastion of goodness and holiness. We must open up our homes in true Jewish hospitality and love. We have to show unconditional love and care for our fellow Jew, despite how far they may have strayed spiritually. In the warmth of our homes we can expose them to the beauty of Torah, allowing them to experience a Shabbos meal or Pesach Seder and showing them the uniqueness of Jewish hospitality and family life. In this way, with perseverance and unconditional love, we can help those lost souls find their way.

The Hebrew month of Elul in which we find ourselves is a time to focus on spiritual return. It is a time to reflect and introspect on our relationship with G-d. Are we in our rightful place of constant and close connection to G-d in our daily lives? Or have we strayed and become lost amidst our personal physical pursuits? If we feel that we have strayed, we should not ignore our situation. The Mitzvah of returning lost objects applies to our own souls as well as those of our fellows.

We all lose our way spiritually from time to time, but no matter where we find ourselves we remain G-d's treasure and He eagerly awaits our return.

 

~ Rabbi Yoni Johnson

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