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Baba Kama 9:2-3

Baba Kama 9:2

If a person stole an animal or servants and they grew old while in his possession, he pays what they were worth at the time of the robbery. Rabbi Meir says that when it comes to servants, the thief merely returns them as they are. If a person stole a coin and it broke, or if he stole produce and it rotted, or if he stole wine and it went sour, he pays what it was worth at the time of the robbery. If he stole a coin and it ceased being accepted as currency, or if he stole terumah and it got rendered ritually impure, or if he stole leaven and Passover occurred (rendering it prohibited), or if he stole an animal and it was used for a sin (idolatry or bestiality, which render it prohibited) or if it became unfit for use as a sacrifice or was sentenced to be stoned (for killing a person) – in all of these cases, the thief returns the stolen property to the owner “as is.”

Baba Kama 9:3

If a person gave an object to some craftsmen for repair and the craftsmen ruined it, they must pay for it. If a person gave a carpenter a piece of furniture to repair and he ruined it, he must pay for it. If a builder accepted a job to disassemble a wall and he broke the stones or otherwise caused damage, he must pay for it. If he was dismantling a wall on one side and a stone fell from the other side, he is exempt from paying unless it fell as a consequence of his actions.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz