When I reflect on myself and my role in the world, the word 'merchant' doesn't come to mind. But I guess I need to think again.

In a way, life itself is about 'Divine Commerce.' Trade is an interchange of goods and commodities. When I buy something it comes into my possession, and when I sell something I'm transferring the object from my domain to someone else's. That's basic business.

It's also a framework for life.

At a simplistic level, I tend to divide my life into two conceptual domains or orbits: the important and the less-than-important (meaningful and less-than-meaningful). My experiences seem to automatically find a place in one orbit or the other.

But sometimes I need to stand back and reframe: Life itself is about 'Divine Commerce.' When my children are calling my cell phone about something I consider less-than-important, I need to take pause. The topic may be trivial, but our relationship is not. So, if I'm thinking, I should recognize every interaction as 'important.' I should see this 'mundane moment' as an opportunity for 'relationship-building.'

Once I recognize that, I may still choose to defer the specific conversation until later. But I'll be doing so from a healthy and respectful position. And rest assured: If I feel it, they will too.

So, in 'commercial' language, I need to 'secure' slices of life from the trivial domain, and lift them into a meaningful orbit.

This also applies to my relationship with the Divine.

If I eat a bowl of vegetable soup for lunch today, that's relatively trivial. But does it need to be?

What if I'm eating with a Torah paradigm? If I first thank my Creator for this incredible life and the food I'm about to eat? What if I'm conscious of my need to make a difference in the world, and my need for nutrition as fuel?

If I'm mindful and focused, I can transfer my lunch from the mundane to the meaningful; the bowl of soup becomes a tool in my life's mission.

When I take a situation and infuse it with meaning, I'm 'acquiring' it for the Divine. That's spiritual commerce.

In the Torah, and in our Amidah liturgy, G‑d is referred to as (if we translate the words literally) "the Purchaser of all things" (Koneh Hakol).

G‑d gave us a world that seems disconnected from meaning, out of His 'domain.' Our job is to 'buy it back.'

And the assets pay immediate dividends: the inner peace that comes with living a Purposeful Life.