4(a)1-- the potential 'claimant' of a lost object is given six days of travel and one day to announce ... but isn't travel forbidden on the Shabbas? Are these 7 days consecutive of do they exclude Shabbas?
L. Zacharowic z, Far Rockaway, NY
These seven days are not the prime time to claim a lost object, but are rather the final time period that the finder must announce the lost object, after he has already announced it during three Regalim. Accordingly, the seven days given is not a set amount for the person who lost the object, as he might live anywhere and travel times vary. It is simply a way of understanding the fixed amount of seven days. It would seem that Shabbos would therefore count as one of these days. This would especially seem to hold true according to the Rishonim who understand that the seven days is more of an amount regarding how long the finder must stay on and wait for someone to claim the object (see Otzar Mefarshei ha'Talmud).
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose