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Rabbi SaraLeya Schley


Rabbi SaraLeya

Dear Kol HaEmek

I am so looking forward to our upcoming High Holy Day journey. Below you will find more information about me.

This is the season of teshvuah, of returning to our essential selves by deeply examining our lives as we re-commit to our souls’ missions and purposes. As a spiritual community, we support each other in this profound and holy work. We achieve heights and depths together that we cannot reach alone.

Let us set the intention to build a vessel of acceptance and heart as we acknowledge and elevate the Divine sparks in each other, experiencing the renewal of body, mind and spirit. As we enter the gates of prayer and ritual, we can create a loving and non-judgmental field of blessing that allows the best of each of us to shine forth and contains the potential for transformative healing.

Join us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 5778, a time of communal celebration, personal introspection and universal renewal.

I look forward to spending these Days of Awe with you.

With blessing,

Rabbi SaraLeya Schley


Rabbi SaraLeya was ordained in 2005 by the ALEPH Rabbinic Program. Her rabbinic passions include plumbing the depth of Hebrew prayer, chanting Torah with interpretive translation, study of mystical texts, and officiating at rituals that mark life’s transitions, joys and difficulties. She is committed to practicing and teaching tikkun ha-nefesh, the self- reflective refinement of our soul-traits that helps us become shining vessels for the Divine spark that enlivens us.

Rabbi SaraLeya served Chochmat HaLev, Berkeley, CA, as rabbi 2008-2014, and she is currently Rabbi Emerita and lifetime member there. She is associated with the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

Mother of three adult children, she also had a fulfilling career as a Gynecologic and Obstetric physician from 1977 until retirement in 2014. She earned her B.S. in Psychology and M.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She received a Master of Philosophy in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a Master of Counseling from the University of Phoenix, Tucson campus. She is also certified in Interactive Guided Imagery™ and Soul Memory Discovery©. You can learn more about Rabbi SaraLeya at her website: http://www.rabbisaraleya.com