- When a person is approached by several people (whether wealthy or poor) for a loan, and he cannot [afford to] lend to everyone, then this is the order of priority: (1) a Cohen; (2) Levi; (3) Israelite; (4) amamzer. However, if any one of them is a Torah scholar, then he has precedence over all the others. That is, even a mamzer Torah scholar comes before an unlearned Cohen. Even if the Torah scholar needs the money for clothing while the unlearned person needs it for food, the scholar comes first. The wife of a Torah scholar has the same status as a scholar. And if there are several Torah scholars seeking a loan for someone, then whichever one is greatest in wisdom comes first.
- One’s father or rav muvhak (one’s primary teacher from whom one learned most of his Torah knowledge) take precedence over all other people. One’s father comes before even a Torah scholar, as do all of one’s relatives.
H. If one’s father and primary Torah mentor are both seeking a loan, then the person’s mentor comes first since his Torah mentor is the one bringing him to the life of the World to Come, while his father brought him into this World. But if the person’s father is himself a Torah scholar on par with his mentor, then his father comes first. Also, if the mentor is not teaching him Torah for free and it his father who is paying the teacher’s salary, then too the father comes first.
