(ו) כִּֽי־יִתֵּן֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֜הוּ כֶּ֤סֶף אֽוֹ־כֵלִים֙ לִשְׁמֹ֔ר וְגֻנַּ֖ב מִבֵּ֣ית הָאִ֑ישׁ אִם־יִמָּצֵ֥א הַגַּנָּ֖ב יְשַׁלֵּ֥ם שְׁנָֽיִם׃ (ז) אִם־לֹ֤א יִמָּצֵא֙ הַגַּנָּ֔ב וְנִקְרַ֥ב בַּֽעַל־הַבַּ֖יִת אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים אִם־לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֛ח יָד֖וֹ בִּמְלֶ֥אכֶת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃ (ח) עַֽל־כָּל־דְּבַר־פֶּ֡שַׁע עַל־שׁ֡וֹר עַל־חֲ֠מוֹר עַל־שֶׂ֨ה עַל־שַׂלְמָ֜ה עַל־כָּל־אֲבֵדָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֹאמַר֙ כִּי־ה֣וּא זֶ֔ה עַ֚ד הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים יָבֹ֖א דְּבַר־שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יַרְשִׁיעֻן֙ אֱלֹהִ֔ים יְשַׁלֵּ֥ם שְׁנַ֖יִם לְרֵעֵֽהוּ׃ (ס) (ט) כִּֽי־יִתֵּן֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֜הוּ חֲמ֨וֹר אוֹ־שׁ֥וֹר אוֹ־שֶׂ֛ה וְכָל־בְּהֵמָ֖ה לִשְׁמֹ֑ר וּמֵ֛ת אוֹ־נִשְׁבַּ֥ר אוֹ־נִשְׁבָּ֖ה אֵ֥ין רֹאֶֽה׃ (י) שְׁבֻעַ֣ת יְהוָ֗ה תִּהְיֶה֙ בֵּ֣ין שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם אִם־לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֛ח יָד֖וֹ בִּמְלֶ֣אכֶת רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְלָקַ֥ח בְּעָלָ֖יו וְלֹ֥א יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃ (יא) וְאִם־גָּנֹ֥ב יִגָּנֵ֖ב מֵעִמּ֑וֹ יְשַׁלֵּ֖ם לִבְעָלָֽיו׃ (יב) אִם־טָרֹ֥ף יִטָּרֵ֖ף יְבִאֵ֣הוּ עֵ֑ד הַטְּרֵפָ֖ה לֹ֥א יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃ (פ) (יג) וְכִֽי־יִשְׁאַ֥ל אִ֛ישׁ מֵעִ֥ם רֵעֵ֖הוּ וְנִשְׁבַּ֣ר אוֹ־מֵ֑ת בְּעָלָ֥יו אֵין־עִמּ֖וֹ שַׁלֵּ֥ם יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃ (יד) אִם־בְּעָלָ֥יו עִמּ֖וֹ לֹ֣א יְשַׁלֵּ֑ם אִם־שָׂכִ֣יר ה֔וּא בָּ֖א בִּשְׂכָרֽוֹ׃ (ס)
(6) If a man deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, he shall pay double. (7) If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall come near unto God, to see whether he have not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods. (8) For every matter of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, whereof one saith: 'This is it,' the cause of both parties shall come before God; he whom God shall condemn shall pay double unto his neighbour. (9) If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep, and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it; (10) the oath of the LORD shall be between them both, to see whether he have not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner thereof shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. (11) But if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. (12) If it be torn in pieces, let him bring it for witness; he shall not make good that which was torn. (13) And if a man borrow aught of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof not being with it, he shall surely make restitution. (14) If the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good; if it be a hireling, he loseth his hire.
(ח) ארבעה שומרין הן: שומר חנם, והשואל, נושא שכר, והשוכר. שומר חנם נשבע על הכל, והשואל משלם את הכל, ונושא שכר והשוכר נשבעים על השבורה ועל השבויה ועל המתה, ומשלמין את האבדה ואת הגנבה.
(8) There are four types of guardians: an unpaid guardian, a borrower, one who collects a wage, and a renter. An unpaid guardian may swear in every case; and the borrower should pay restitution in every case; and one who collects a wage or a renter must swear concerning an injured [animal], concerning one that has been carried off, or concerning a dead [animal], and must pay restitution for loss or theft.
ההוא רעיא דהוה קא רעי חיותא אגודא דנהר פפא שריג חדא מינייהו ונפלת למיא אתא לקמיה דרבה ופטריה אמר מאי הו"ל למעבד
A shepherd was once pasturing his beasts by the banks of the River Papa, when one slipped and fell into the water [and was drowned]. He then came before Rabbah, who exempted him [from liability], with the remark, 'What could he have done?' He guarded [them] as people guard.' Abaye protested, 'If so, had he entered the town when people generally enter it [leaving his charges alone], would he still be exempt?' — 'Yes', he replied. 'Then had he slept a little when other people sleep, would he also be exempt?' — 'Even so,' was his answer.
...
רב חסדא ורבה בר רב הונא לא סבירא להו הא דרבה דאמרי להכי יהבי לך אגרא לנטורי לי נטירותא יתירתא בר אדא סבולאה הוי קא מעבר חיותא אגמלא דנרש דחפה חדא לחברתה ושדיתה במיא אתא לקמיה דרב פפא חייביה אמר ליה מאי הוה לי למעבד א"ל אבעי לך לעבורי חדא חדא א"ל ידעת ביה בבר אחתיך דמצי למעבר חדא חדא א"ל כבר צווחו קמאי דקמך ולא איכא דאשגח בהו
R. Hisda and Rabbah son of R. Huna disagree with Rabbah's dictum, for they maintain: [The owner can say], 'I paid you wages precisely in order that you should guard with greater care.'
Bar Adda, the carrier, was leading beasts across the bridge of Naresh,when one beast pushed another and threw it into the water. On his appearing before R. Papa, the latter held him responsible. 'But what was I to do?' he protested. — 'You should have led them across one by one,' he replied. 'Do you know of your sister's son that he could have led them across one by one?' he asked. — 'Your predecessors before you have already complained, but none pay heed to them,' he replied.
ר' אבהו בשם ר' יוחנן נאמרה שמירה בש"ח ונאמרה שמירה בש"ש ולא דמייא שנאמרה בש"ח לשמירה שנאמרה בש"ש אפילו הקיפו חומה של ברזל אין רואין אותו כאילו הוא שמר. היה יכול להציל חייב שאינו יכול להציל פטור. אין אומרים אילו היה אחד שם היה יכול להציל.
Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: The word "guarding" is used in the case of an unpaid watchman and in the case of the paid watchman, but they are not similar. For in the case of the paid watchman, even if he surrounded it with an iron wall, we do not treat him as though he guarded it. If he were able to save it, he is liable; if not, he is exempt. We do not say, 'If someone had been there, they would have been able to save it.'
Hans Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method, 368-371
Understanding is always more than merely re-creating someone else’s meaning. Questioning opens up possibilities of meaning, and thus what is meaningful passes into one’s own thinking on the subject. Only in an inauthentic sense can we talk about understanding questions that one does not pose oneself—e.g., questions that are outdated or empty… To understand a question means to ask it. To understand meaning is to understand it as the answer to a question…
This is not an external matter of simply adjusting our tools; nor is it even right to say that the partners adapt themselves to one another but, rather, in a successful conversation they both come under the influence of the truth of the object and are thus bound to one another in a new community. To reach an understanding in a dialogue is not merely a matter of putting oneself forward and successfully asserting one’s own point of view, but being transformed into a communion in which we do not remain what we were.