Hello kollel!
I know ordinarily money is considered to be subject immediately to yeush and generally doesn't have to be returned.
If a person has a dollar which is ripped or marked in some way would that be an exception? I seem to recall a case in the mishna of money tied in a bundle which counted as a siman of sorts, but would a simpler modification "it's ripped on the lower right corner" suffice?
Another question: in a non Jewish area if you see someone drop money, mikkar hadin do you have to pick it up and return it? Of course it's the right thing to do and a Kiddush hashem but is returning it lifnim meshuras hadin or the basic Halacha?
Thank you!
Josh
According to the Beis Hora'ah of "Beis Din Hayashar V'Hatov" absolutely nothing is ever considered a Siman on a dollar bill.
If you are in a place of Rove Goyim you have no obligation to return the money you saw fall and you may keep it. Of course, if it is a Kiddush Hahem to point out the loss to the loser, you may fulfill that Mitzvah. I want to point out that in New York City, it is against the law to take possession of an abandoned object; in addition, there was a period of time (I don't know if they still do this) that the police would leave wallets, women's pocket books etc. in subway stations as a sting operation. The logic was that the Goyim don't care about returning lost objects and generally the only people that pick them up are people with a previous criminal record. As soon as someone picked the wallet the police came out of hiding and arrested him (maybe it was only a ticket, don't remember). This was a way for helping the police to control crime on the streets. So, before you try to make a Kiddush Hash-m, I guess you should know what the local regulations are.
Shimon Brodie