Baba Metzia 7:8-9

Baba Metzia 7:8

Those who guard harvested produce are entitled to eat according to the terms of the accepted local practice but this is not a right granted to them by the Torah (as it is in the case of workers). The four types of guardian are: an unpaid watchman, a borrower, a paid watchman and a renter. An unpaid watchman takes an oath to exempt himself from paying for any kind of loss; a borrower pays for any kind of loss; a paid watchman and a renter take an oath for an animal that breaks a limb, is commandeered or dies, and they pay for something that is lost or stolen.

Baba Metzia 7:9

An attack by one wolf is not considered beyond a person’s control (because the watchman is capable of fending it off) but an attack by two wolves is. Rabbi Yehuda says that when there’s a whole pack of wolves, then even one wolf is considered beyond one’s control. An attack by two dogs is likewise not considered beyond a person’s control (again, because the watchman can drive them away). Yadua the Babylonian quoted Rabbi Meir that if two dogs came from the same direction, it is not considered beyond one’s control but if they came from different directions, then it is considered beyond one’s control. A robber is considered beyond one’s control, as is a lion, a bear, a leopard, a hyena and a snake. This is only the case when these things arrive on their own. If the guardian led the flock he’s watching to a place where there are wild animals or robbers, then it is not a situation that was beyond his control.