Reuven Hammer (Hebrew:ראובן המר; June 30, 1933 – August 12, 2019)^[1] was an American-IsraeliConservativerabbi, scholar ofJewish liturgy, author and lecturer who was born in New York. He was a founder of the "Masorti" (Conservative) movement inIsrael and a president of the InternationalRabbinical Assembly. He served many years as head of the MasortiBeth Din in Israel.^[2][3] A prolific writer in both the Israeli and international press,^[2] he was a regular columnist forThe Jerusalem Post's "Tradition Today" column.^[4] He lived inJerusalem.^[5]

Hammer earned a doctorate in theology andrabbinical ordination from theJewish Theological Seminary,^[6] and a Ph.D. fromNorthwestern University.^[7]

As president of the 1,500-member^[1] Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative movement in Israel, Hammer authored the movement's official commentary on the prayer book,Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals,^[1] published in March 2003.^[2] This work contains the complete text ofSiddur Sim Shalom forShabbat andfestivals, surrounded by a comprehensive commentary. The page layout loosely resembles that of theTalmud. In 2008 Rabbi Hammer, also authored the commentary forOr Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays.

From October 2005 to July 2007 Hammer was the Interim Rabbi at the New London Synagogue inLondon,England.^[2]

Hammer died of abrain tumour on 12 August 2019 inJerusalem at the age of 86.^[8]

In 2003 Hammer was named to theForward 50 as one of the most influential Jews in the American Jewish community for his achievements as president of the Rabbinical Assembly.^[1] That same year, he received theSimon Greenberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Rabbinate by theZiegler School of Rabbinic Studies of theUniversity of Judaism (now theAmerican Jewish University).^[2]

His booksSifre: A Taanaitic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy (1986) andEntering the High Holy Days: A guide to origins, themes, and prayers (2005) were awarded theNational Jewish Book Award as the best book of scholarship for their respective years.^[2][9]

• The Other Child in Jewish Education: A handbook on learning disabilities. United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education. 1979.
• Sifre: A Tannaitic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. Yale University Press. 1986.ISBN 0-300-03345-1.
• Entering Jewish Prayer: A guide to personal devotion and the worship service.Schocken Books. 1995.ISBN 0-8052-1022-9.
• The Classic Midrash: Tannaitic Commentaries on the Bible. Paulist Press. 1995.ISBN 978-0-8091-3503-5.reuven hammer.
• The Jerusalem Anthology: A literary guide.Jewish Publication Society. 1995.ISBN 0-8276-0551-X.reuven hammer.
• Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals. Rabbinical Assembly. 2003.ISBN 0-916219-20-8.
• Entering the High Holy Days: A guide to origins, themes, and prayers. Jewish Publication Society of America. 2005.ISBN 0-8276-0821-7.
• Or Ḥadash: A commentary on Sidur Sim Shalom for Weekdays. Rabbinical Assembly. 2008.ISBN 978-0-916219-38-3. (withJules Harlow,Harold Kushner, and Avram Israel Reisner)
• Entering Torah: Prefaces to the weekly Torah portion. Gefen Publishing House. 2009.ISBN 978-965-229-434-0.
• The Torah Revolution:Fourteen Truths That Changed The World. Jewish Lights Publishing. 2011.ISBN 978-1-58023-457-3.
• Akiva: Life, Legend, Legacy. University of Nebraska Press. 2015.ISBN 9780827612488.
• עקיבא: האיש, האגדה, המורשת. מכון שכטר ללימודי היהדות. 2017.ISBN 9789655644210.
• A Year with the Sages: Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion. University of Nebraska Press. 2019.ISBN 9780827613119.

• Conservative and Masorti rabbis

• List of "Tradition Today" columns by Rabbi Reuven Hammer inThe Jerusalem Post
• List of columns by Rabbi Reuven Hammer inHaaretz
• The Pope and I by Reuven Hammer

• 1933 births
• 2019 deaths
• 20th-century American male writers
• 20th-century American non-fiction writers
• 20th-century American rabbis
• 21st-century American male writers
• 21st-century American non-fiction writers
• 21st-century American rabbis
• American Conservative rabbis
• American emigrants to Israel
• American male non-fiction writers
• Deaths from brain cancer in Israel
• Israeli Conservative rabbis
• The Jerusalem Post people
• Jewish American non-fiction writers
• Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients
• Religious leaders from Syracuse, New York

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• Articles containing Hebrew-language text