DEUT1088 In Western society, when people hear a story of a person who returns an object of great value, the common reaction is (1) great surprise, (2) a comment about the unusually high moral quality of this individual who returned the object, and (3) a belief that this person should receive some type of reward for acting "beyond the call of duty." Judaism has an entirely different approach and expected level of morality regarding returning lost objects. Unlike Western society, Judaism regards returning found objects as a mitzvah and not merely a good deed (See the chapter "Mitzvot-Commandments" for discussion on the difference between the two). What does this mean? In a Jewish society not only is it not unusual for an object to be returned, but it is the expected norm and is even demanded as a Torah obligation [this verse]. In many societies, there are laws requiring someone to return the found object once it is picked up--you cannot keep it. But no other society except Judaism says that the individual must pick up the lost object to begin with. Judaism says that a person cannot pass by the object and do nothing, and the Torah repeats this commandment for emphasis two verses later. Therefore, a Jew can't say that "it's not my problem" or "let someone else worry about it." A Jew must pick it up. Most people feel more of a moral obligation to pick up and return the lost object if they know the owner. Therefore, the Torah specifically says that even if you do not know the owner, you still must retrieve the lost object (Deuteronomy 22:2).