Ahavat Yisrael
of
About Our Rav
Congregation Ahavat Yisrael
of
He is a rabbi with
not only impressive credentials, but someone with a legacy of communal
accomplishment at nearly every level, giving him a unique perspective into
Jewish and family life.
In addition to serving
as a pulpit rabbi, he is also a longtime educator at a local high school;
author of an acclaimed sefer,
numerous responsa and scholarly
articles; administrator of a widely respected kashrut organization; and a key
figure at the largest group of orthodox Jewish rabbis in the nation. He has also served as hospital chaplain,
lecturer, scholar-in-residence, kashrut and eruv consultant, kollel fellow,
and beit din dayan.
His own philosophy was influenced greatly by the
principles championed by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch,
HaRav Avraham Y. Kook, and Rav Josef B. Soloveitchik -- the
latter of whom was his rebbe.
These leaders believed of the importance
of Torah im derech eretz; engagement with,
and sanctification of, secular and scientific knowledge; an appreciation of Eretz Yisrael; an
appreciation of Jews of all backgrounds; and uncompromising fidelity to
classical halachic
interpretation and thought. These
philosophies inform Rabbi Bush's approach to Jewish communal life. His congregation and wider community are its
fortunate beneficiaries.
For the last number
of years, Rabbi Bush has held the seat formerly occupied by Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik as the
chairman of the Rabbinical Council of America's (RCA) Va'ad Halacha
Committee, charged with formulating halachic perspectives on a variety of pressing matters in
the public arena. The committee has
recently taken particular interest in how Jewish law relates to medical matters,
such as end-of-life issues. Rabbi Bush
has, himself, authored important guidelines pertaining to the Jewish
perspective on tobacco dependency.
Rabbi Bush is the author of Shoel B'Shlomo, a sefer acclaimed by Rabbi Hershel Schachter and Rabbi Mordechai Willig, leading roshei yeshiva at the R. Yitzchak Elchanan Rabbinical
Seminary of Yeshiva University. The book
comprises an extensive series of practical responsa
to contemporary questions pertaining to prayer, brachot, kashrut, family life, education, Shabbat
and yom tov. In fact,
more than half a dozen chapters are based on questions posed by congregants of Ahavat Yisrael.
The sefer was the
result of both previously unpublished original thought, as well as a variety of
articles on contemporary halacha he authored for
such scholarly rabbinic journals such as
Prior to his
installation as rav
of Ahavat Yisrael, Rabbi
Bush was the spiritual leader of the Utopia Torah Congregation in
He has taught Jewish history,
gemara,
tanach and halacha to high school students at the
After receiving yoreh-yoreh
ordination, Rabbi Bush then received yadin-yadin, the highest level of smicha, from Rabbi Nissan Alpert
of the R. Yitzchak Elchanan Rabbinical Seminary of Yeshiva
University. Earlier, he had earned a master's degree in Jewish education, and a bachelor's degree in history.
As part of his responsibilities at Ahavat Yisrael, Rabbi Bush leads gemara, parsha and navi shiurim and administers a benevolent fund. Rabbi Bush serves the community along with his
wife Laya in many ways, such as hosting neighborhood
children at an annual communitywide sukkah hop and at a weekly family learning session. Our rav and rebbetzin are blessed with a son and three daughters
who have grown up in the heart of our vibrant community.