Rabbi seeks to guide 'Spiritual Warrior'

Drawing from the faith traditions and personal experiences of people with whom he has interacted, Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein has learned some of life's most important lessons, and he shares them in his book "The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior."

Goldstein is his own kind of warrior; as a black belt in martial arts, FBI chaplain and Army chaplain — he is not your typical rabbi.

"I've learned a lot in dealing with people from lots of walks of life," Goldstein said.

From standing at the pulpit to working with the bucket brigades at ground zero in Manhattan, this Brooklyn-based spiritual leader said he has found that oftentimes, the challenges of people in completely different career fields at different times of life can still be similar.

"No matter what we do or who we are, we all share the fact that we are mortal and … we all have to face the fact that we age, our parents age, and whatever line of work we are in may face hard times," he said. "We will always be confronted with challenges, hardship and adversity."

The key, Goldstein said, is to accept the adversity as a growing experience that we cannot escape.

"Ultimately, you can never run away from your demons," he said. "They will always nip at our heels and catch up with us. We need to stand toe to toe with adversity and become a stronger person."

To do so, Goldstein offers his wisdom with the eight-step program detailed in his book.

The process toward conquering trials begins with openness or humility to accept the situation, he said.

Next come introspection, discipline, courage, creativity, stamina, restraint and finally perseverance.

Each principle is outlined in a separate chapter of the book.

"What I argue is that by going through these experiences and cultivating the qualities that are entailed in these experiences, we can eventually find that kind of self-empowerment that so many of us want," Goldstein said. "We can become spiritual warriors."

People seem to find the future especially bleak and daunting in current times, Goldstein said, but he hopes his book will give people hope.

" 'Rabbi' means teacher, so I'm really trying to offer what I have learned through my own struggles — as a rabbi, as a man and as an American," he said.

Illustrating each concept with personal stories, Goldstein also draws from multiple faith traditions and theories of philosophers and writers throughout history, including Native American, Jewish and Latter-day Saint beliefs.