Bava Metzia 71A

בכדי חייו.

to teach that one may lend money with interest to a ger toshav only to the extent required to provide a livelihood to the lender, but not to do so as a regular business.

רבינא אמר: הכא בתלמידי חכמים עסקינן. טעמא מאי גזור רבנן ⁠– שמא ילמוד ממעשיו, וכיון דתלמיד חכם הוא ⁠– לא ילמוד ממעשיו.

Ravina said: Here in the Mishnah we are dealing with Torah scholars, for whom it is permitted to lend money to a non-Jew with interest. The Talmud explains: What is the reason the rabbis decreed that one should not lend money to a non-Jew with interest? The reason is that perhaps the Jew will learn from the non-Jew’s actions. Continuous interactions with non-Jews for the sake of financial dealings may have a negative influence on a Jew. And since in this case the lender is a Torah scholar, he will not learn from the non-Jew’s actions.

איכא דמתני לה להא דרב הונא אהא דתני רב יוסף: ״אם כסף תלוה את עמי את העני עמך״. עמי וגוי ⁠– עמי קודם, עני ועשיר ⁠– עני קודם. ״ענייך ועניי עירך״⁠ – ענייך קודמין, עניי עירך ועניי עיר אחרת ⁠– עניי עירך קודמין.

There are those who teach that which Rav Huna said in connection with that which Rav Yosef taught: The verse states: “If you lend money to any of My people, even to the poor person who is with you” (Exodus 22:24). The term “My people” teaches that if one of My people, i.e., a Jew, and a non-Jew both come to borrow money from you, My people take precedence. The term “the poor person” teaches that if a poor person and a rich person come to borrow money, the poor person takes precedence. And from the term: “Who is with you,” it is derived: If your poor person, meaning one of your relatives, and one of the poor of your city come to borrow money, your poor person takes precedence. If it is between one of the poor of your city and one of the poor of another city, the one of the poor of your city takes precedence.