Our Gemara on Amud Aleph recognizes that it is a valid argument for a claimant to maintain he was unaware someone was occupying his land due to him being preoccupied at the market, and was engaged in intense business and trade. 

This brings to mind an inspirational historical fact about one the most respected poskim of Jewish history. Rav Avraham Danzig (1748-1820) authored numerous works, most famously his Chayye Adam and Chochmas Adam, a major code and commentary on Orach Chaim and Yoreh Deah. Significantly, he was NOT leaning in kollel or a pulpit rabbi by occupation, but rather a merchant. In his introduction to Chayye Adam he writes:

“My travels over great distances were not to accumulate wealth, but to provide for my family.” 

He further writes: “If a person's mind remains on the Torah and he longs for every free moment to study Torah, the Torah keeps him faithful. If man does not forget the Torah, neither does the Torah forget man.” 

About himself he stated: “I say this not to show off, nor to take credit, because it is God who grants me intellect, but to teach others. I testify that when I was traveling I still studied Torah. I confess, even in the midst of negotiations, my mind was engrossed in a sugya.”

Since Talmudic times, in every generation there have been exceptional individuals, such as Rav Danzig, who somehow managed to support themselves as businessmen while devoting their energy and talents to Torah scholarship. Not only did they become knowledgeable, but actually contended with the greatest sages of their time and prior. How is this even physically possible? Even with their great talents, statistically, their peers had the same abilities without distraction. Can we imagine a backyard inventor proposing a new theory in physics that refutes Einstein? Or, an amateur gymnast outperforming an Olympian champion? Even among notable scholars in the Talmud, those non-working peers were considered superior, as the famous story of Ilfa and Rabbi Yochanan attests. These two peers chose different life paths when confronted with a crisis of poverty. Ilfa left the study hall to make a living, while Rabbi Yochanan redoubled his efforts and resolved to forge on in his studies Ta’anis (21). Despite Ilfa’s demonstrated prowess, Rabbi Yochanan was chosen as Rosh Yeshiva. But once in a while, there is a sage and businessperson who breaks the mold. Torah is different from other intellectual pursuits, and love for it coupled with moral development and attachment to God leads to divinely inspired knowledge, which goes beyond physical limitations.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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