“For these type of altruistic endeavors to be sustainable, there’s got to be a little bit of self-interest… I think of the commandment to love God ‘with all your heart’. The mishna in brachot interprets this as serving God with both your inclinations – the good and evil inclination. The evil inclination, self-interest, is always going to be there… as long as the good inclination is leading the way, the model of ‘both your inclinations’ is the key to success.” -Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth

What are the myriad of motives that bring us as Jews to serve global communities in need? Are some motivations more “pure” than others? How might the interests we carry into development work affect the outcomes of that work?
Join the conversation as Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth of Pardes and Ilan Fluss of MASHAV shed light on how to serve with integrity against a landscape of mixed motivation. Listen above or via iTunes or Stitcher.
Guest Bios
Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth
Daniel is the director of the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution. He holds a PhD from Bar Ilan University‘s Program for Conflict Resolution, Management and Negotiation writing on Jewish models of conflict resolution, peacemaking, and reconciliation. Daniel has been teaching advanced rabbinics, Bible, conflict resolution and other subjects at Pardes for over ten years. Read more here.
Ilan Fluss

Ilan Fluss serves as Deputy Head of Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was previously posted as a Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in August 2006. Read more here.