Jeffrey L. Rubenstein (born 1964 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is an American scholar and the Skirball Professor of Talmud and Rabbinic Literature in the Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University (NYU). He is a leading authority on the literary and cultural analysis of the narratives of the Babylonian Talmud, specifically the role of the anonymous redactors known as the Stammaim.
Rubenstein graduated from Oberlin College in 1985 with a B.A. in Religion. He earned an M.A. in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 1987 and was ordained as a Rabbi by JTS in 1991. He completed his Ph.D. in Religion at Columbia University in 1992 under the supervision of David Weiss Halivni.
Rubenstein joined the faculty of New York University in 1993. He rose to Full Professor in 2003 and currently holds the Skirball Professorship. He teaches courses on Talmud, rabbinic literature, Jewish ethics, and late antiquity.
He has served on the board of the Society for Jewish Ethics and the editorial board of the Association for Jewish Studies Review. In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research.
Rubenstein's research is credited with "rethinking Talmudic history" by analyzing "sage stories" (Aggadah) as deliberate literary compositions rather than simple biographies. His work focuses on how the anonymous redactors (Stammaim) reshaped traditions to address the cultural anxieties of the Babylonian academies.
Scholars have noted his ability to provide a sociological study of the competitive atmosphere and the role of public shaming within Babylonian academies. His work is regarded as a bridge between traditional philology and modern cultural studies.