3,152. Playing Favorites with the Needy

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 4:12

One who doesn’t let the needy gather leket, or who lets one but not another, or who helps one to the exclusion of the others, is considered to be stealing from the needy.

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 4:13

One is not permitted to have a lion or something similar in his field that will scare the needy and drive them away. If there are among the needy people who are not entitled to leket and the owner of the field is able to reprimand them, he should do so. If he is unable to do so, he should let them gather leket in order to promote peace.