נחמיה, פרק י״ג, פסוק כ׳

Closing the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath did not immediately bring an end to local commerce. Instead of respecting the day of rest, sellers actively sought alternative ways to bypass the new restrictions. The primary approach among commentators is that these individuals were general merchants, though some specify that they were sellers of spices [מצודת ציון]. Determined to continue their business, these traders chose to camp and sleep just outside the city walls on Friday night or during the Sabbath itself [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their clear goal in waiting right outside the city was to tempt the local residents into buying their goods despite the holiness of the day.

The commentators present a few different scenarios for how this illicit trade actually took place. Some suggest the merchants hoped the residents of Jerusalem would eventually open the city gates specifically for them to conduct their business [רש״י]. Another perspective proposes that the sellers simply waited for the residents to come out to them early in the morning beyond the walls [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Adding to this, some explain that the residents would go out to purchase small items that could easily be smuggled back into the city unnoticed [מלבי״ם]. This stubborn reality, with merchants camping outside the city in an ongoing attempt to maintain their trade, repeated itself on at least one or two occasions [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].