1,664. Accepting a Deposit

Hilchos Ishus 22:32

One may not accept a deposit for safekeeping from a wife, a servant or a minor. If one did accept a deposit from a wife, he should return it to her; if she dies, he should return it to her husband. If he accepted a deposit from a servant, he should return it to him; if the servant dies, to his master. If he accepted a deposit from a minor, he should use the proceeds to buy a sefer Torah or some other object that will benefit the minor. Let’s say that the one who left the deposit dies, saying that the property they deposited belongs to a certain person. If the one watching the deposit believes him or her, then he should carry out the assignment. If he does not believe the deceased, he should give the deposit to that person’s heirs.

Hilchos Ishus 22:33

Let’s say that a woman has the means to purchase real estate from which her husband would benefit from the proceeds generated. However, he wants to buy one type of property and she wants to buy a different type of property. In such a case, they should purchase property that requires minimal upkeep and generates maximum proceeds even if this isn’t the type of property that either one of them wants to buy. We only buy something that renews itself out of concern that the property will be exhausted and the investment will be lost.