Baba Metzia 6:6-7

Baba Metzia 6:6

Any kind of craftsman is considered a paid guardian. Once the craftsman tells the owner to pick up his property and to bring payment for the job, he is an unpaid watchman. If one person tells another, “Guard my property today and I’ll guard yours tomorrow,” the guardian is considered a paid watchman. If one person says, “Guard this for me” and the other replies, “Put it down in front of me,” he is an unpaid watchman.

Baba Metzia 6:7

If one person loaned to another against collateral, the lender is a paid watchman of the borrower’s property. Rabbi Yehuda says that he is an unpaid watchman if he lent money and a paid watchman if he lent produce. [Since produce goes bad and the loan will be repaid with fresh produce, this is form of benefit.] Abba Shaul says that a person may rent out a poor person’s collateral, using the money generated to reduce the amount owed, because this is considered returning a lost item to its owner (i.e., the debt will be paid off sooner so the lender will be able to return the borrower’s collateral).