Menorat HaMaor

On Charity

And if one’s father and one’s son were captured and he does not have the ransom for both of them, but rather for only one of them, he should redeem his father and leave his son. And even though one is obligated by the honor of one’s father, the honor of his teacher is greater. For his father brought him to this world, whereas his teacher allows him to inherit life in the world to come. Hence if his father and this teacher were captured and he does not have the ransom for both of them, he should ransom his teacher. However if his father is a Torah scholar, he should redeem his father before his teacher. As the honor of the Torah and the honor of his father [when in combination] are greater than the honor of his teacher. This is as we learned in Bava Metzia (33a:9) in the chapter [entitled] Elu Metziot, “If his father and his teacher were in captivity, he first redeems his teacher and thereafter redeems his father. And if his father is a Torah scholar, he first redeems his father and afterwards redeems his teacher.”