Book Club

What is Divine Providence? What is the evidence of Divine Providence in Prince's life? Is Divine Providence the same as destiny? How does Divine Providence interact with free choice in Prince's life? Do we have free choice as human beings in our lives?

Thinking back on specific events in your own life, what do you see in your life as Divine Providence? How has Divine Providence interacted with your own life choices?

How does Divine Providence interact with Prince's mission in his life? What makes his mission unique? What abilities was he specifically given to accomplish that mission? Contemplating this issue, what do you see as the mission in your own life?

Why does Prince, who appears so gifted, run away from his mission? Why does each of us at some point in our lives seem to run away? Why do we fear our own missions, even though we are gifted?

What does it mean to be a tzaddik? How do we define a tzaddik? Why does there have to be a physical transformation as well as a spiritual one for a person to become a tzaddik? Why is a tzaddik so humble?

Why does Prince have so much fear before he evolves into a tzaddik — and why is he so fearless after he becomes a tzaddik — even as he accepts his extremely difficult mission?

Thinking about the dreams that Prince experiences, what dreams have significance in your own life? Why is 'dreaming' so important in our lives? Why does it precede action?

Why if G-d ordains good, do we struggle so much in our lives? Why is there 'evil' in this world? What is 'evil'? How does it exist in the novel? How do we defeat it?

Is the Creation finished or is it still developing? How are the characters co-creators with G-d? How are we co-creators with G-d in our lives?

What is the reason we come to this world?

What does it mean to be created in the image of G-d? How are we a microcosm of the creation and how do we affect the creation by changing ourselves?

What characters in your own life do you know that resemble the character Daniel Kahn? Why is Kahn struggling so much? Why is it sometimes easier to go on struggling with those issues than to admit that you need to make changes?

What is reality? How do we allow the world to organize time for us? Why do many of us perceive reality as primarily something we can physically see or touch? Why do we often treat the 'hidden' world as if it doesn't exist?

What do you think transferred from your prior existence to your life in this world? What legacy would you like to leave this world and what do you think that you can take with you?

Is the concept of a Messiah a realistic one? If such a Messiah existed, would we recognize that person? What is a Messianic World?

What are the significant relationships in your own life? How do they support your life's mission? Who have been the teachers in your life and who have been your students? How do you become a 'healer' in this world?

Why is kavanah or intention so important in our actions? Why is it not just good enough to do the actions? Why does lashon hara or 'evil speech' cause so much distress if we don't act upon it?

How does G-d marry the infinite and finite within human beings? How do we strive for the infinite when we cannot conceive of it in our physical existence?

How are the four worlds through which our existence was created — Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah — reflected in the human body and energy? How do the sefirot reflect our Divine inheritance by being both vessels and lights?

How does your name or the names ascribed to others refer to an inner energy? How does naming someone contain a certain energy?

What does it mean to 'know' something? Do we really understand a concept when we only 'know' it intellectually?

How do we know that our actions are 'good' if we are subjective beings?