The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior » (Original)

Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein is the founder and Rabbi Emeritus of The New Shul in New York City. His essays and poetry have appeared in various publications, including Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and the Forward. He has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Glamour, Real Simple, and the Jewish Week, as well as on television and radio.

In times of upheaval, many of us seek guidance from a spiritual mentor, someone who has confronted challenges and become a stronger person as a result. Here Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein draws from his own hard-won insights and personal experiences as a congregational rabbi, martial artist, FBI chaplain, and limit-pusher and interweaves them with the teachings of sages, biblical figures, and thinkers of all stripes to help us get beyond our own perceived limitations and face life’s challenges with fearlessness and fortitude. Goldstein identifies eight essential qualities that he believes we must cultivate to live a life of self-empowerment and then uses a programmatic approach to explore these qualities and the ways we can develop them in ourselves.

Rabbi Goldstein is known for challenging himself physically, mentally, and spiritually. He counseled law enforcement officers at Ground Zero, has traveled to numerous remote and inhospitable places to learn and teach, and has sought out difficult experiences to rigorously test himself and the meaning of his faith.

Library Journal

A few hours in the company of Rabbi Goldstein (Gonzo Journalism), an FBI chaplain, is like six weeks with a merciless personal trainer. For Goldstein, the "spiritual warrior" must have mastery of the soul, insight, perspective, and mission. This book draws the reader through Goldstein's eight steps on the way to the strength necessary to address life's challenges. While not all readers will fall in with the notion of life as combat, Goldstein is eloquent and persuasive. VERDICT This book will appeal principally, although not exclusively, to male and Jewish readers.