A. If a poor person and a wealthy one are both seeking a loan from someone who only has enough funds for one of them, and the lender trusts the poor man (or he will be giving a pledge), the poor man comes first, as it is written:When you lend money to My people, to the poor man among you (Shemos 22:24). From this verse our Sages learned that in this matter the poor man has precedence over a wealthy person. And even if the wealthy person is the lender’s relative and lives in the same city, nevertheless, the poor man comes first.
If both loan seekers are poor, and one of them needs the money for food while the other needs it for clothing, the lender should give it to the one who needs the loan for food, because he is in the more pressing position.
