Reply To: Do I owe my neighbor kosher meat or treif meat?

Meno – you are partially right. Kofatz echod min hamenu’yim (sugya of takfa choen) – if ine of the counted sheep that was maaser jumped back into the herd and the cohen grabs one of the sheep, can he keep it (since one sheep in the herd is his) or not Z(since THIS shepp might not be his). There, these is a sevora of hamotzi mechavero, prove that THIS sheep was designated as maaser. To apply this to the basketball that fell into the backyard with all the other basketballs or the meatthat fell in with all the other meats – is quite a stretch. Because the sheep is “asiri yihyeh kodesh”, the kedusha is on it, it isn’t simply a monetary obligation to pay the cohen, but an obligation that the specific object be given, and that specificity was lost. So you have a good point but sadly it won’t win the cigar.