Maytal Mitzmacher’s Personalized Bat Mitzvah Page

1:10-1:40pm

Intro to Webpage

Goal Setting

Prepare Haftara Trope like a song

1. In your first homework session, Listen to the assigned audio files, each phrase separately, at least 15 times each. Let it sink in! Best practice is to listen a couple more times in a second sitting before trying to sing along.

2. Sing along with the audio files many times until it is identical, smooth and confident. If there are glitches, use the slider to “rewind” and review a word or two at a time until identical. You’ll know you’re ready for step 3 when the audio recording feels too slow or is ‘holding you back’.

3. Sing the whole assignment without the audio file (as you will in your next lesson).

Use this approach every week, and knock my socks off with how well you know it!

AND, 4. every week, you MUST review at least once, everything learned to date, and FIX any glitches.

Bring a looseleaf binder (with sheet pockets)

Learn Haftara Trope 1st half like a song (PDF | MP3)

2:30-3pm

Prepare Haftara Trope 2nd half

1:10-1:40pm

Prepare Blessing before Haftara

1:10-1:40pm

Prepare Blessing #1 after Haftara

Touch up “v’div-reihem” in blessing before Haftara – make sure the syllables are all done distinctly from each other. Pause after v’.

1:10pm

Review Blessing 1 after Haftara

Prepare blessings 2 & 3 after Haftara

Learn blessing 3 after the haftara (MP3)

Touch up blessing 1 per the audio file above

Prepare blessing 4, first half, after haftara

If you have time to spare, you can get ahead by learning the second half as well.

6pm

Prepare first lines of haftara

(PDF | MP3’s)

Quality over quantity! If you need help, use the audio files in the MP3 link above.

1pm

Re-study (each separately), P’sukim 1-4, using the audio files to make sure you are doing the musical notes correctly (ie., same as the audio file, and making sure not to switch to Torah trope), and making sure your accents are on the syllable with the trope shape.

Please SLOW DOWN so that your brain has a chance to process the intricacies and demands of the music and words. Really good pronunciation is key for people to follow you.

1pm

Continue Haftara v 5-8

2. Go back to last week’s p’sukim, and fix a few items:

– M’kom (not MEE-kom)

– Ha-a-REE-chee (accent on the REE)

– Ki Lo tach-PEE-ri (2 notes on the “lo” and accent on the PEE of “tach-PEE-ri”)

– The note of Ki Vo-(shet) start on the end note of tach-PEE-ri, and the “shet” goes down. That will lead you into the rest of the correct melody.

1pm (ZOOM)

Continue Haftara v 9-10

Go back and make sure all your accents are on the syllable with the (coloured) trope. ie, “NO-ach” and “RE-ga” and ” va-a-TZU-vat RU-ach”)

1pm ZOOM

Prepare Haftara 11-12

1pm ZOOM

Review Haftara to date

Prepare Haftara v13-14

Learn verses 13-14 (MP3)

1pm ZOOM

Prepare Haftara 15-17

1pm ZOOM

Prepare Haftara 55:1

Learn Haftara 55:1 (MP3)

1pm ZOOM

Prepare Haftara 55:2-3

Touch up previous 2 weeks, making sure pashta words go UP! (like No-fei-ach)

1pm ZOOM

1pm ZOOM

Prepare Haftara 55:4

2. Touch up 55:2-3 (MP3)

10am ZOOM

Review Haftara Blessings

Look at Torah Trope Together

Do a read-through of the Hebrew of your maftir aliya (PDF)

10am ZOOM

Prepare Maftir, 11:29-30

Learn Maftir 11:30 first half (MP3)

Prepare 11:30 second half

Smooth out 11:29-30

Practice Blessing (PDF) before Torah reading (MP3) and after Torah reading (MP3)

10am ZOOM

Prepare rest of 11:31

Start reviewing musaf (up to end of p156b)

2. Learn rest of Maftir 11:31 (MP3)

3. Go back and work more closely with the audio files for the earlier verses of maftir to make sure all the trope are getting their special time on the voice (ie., don’t gloss through any tropes without singing their full set of notes)

10am Zoom

Prepare Maftir 11:32

Continue reviewing musaf from K’dusha (got up to

Keep working on Maftir 11:31 (MP3) to make sure the music of the tropes is correct.

Review Musaf from K’dusha (start that section over – SLOW DOWN!)

1. Smooth out and get all the music and word stresses worked out (identical to recordings) for all the of the maftir. Suggest you “perform” your accomplishment each week for your parents.
2. Review your haftara and blessings, making sure you work diligently on any glitches – make it smooth!
3. Listen to Ein Kamocha (PDF | MP3 FOLDER)

AND SLOW DOWN PLEASE! You have a tendency to sing way too fast to be understood in the big sanctuary.

1:10pm

ZOOM

Review Torah Processional

1:10pm

Review Maftir & Haftara

Plan next steps (a full aliya)

Prepare 7th Aliya (PDF)

Print out your aliya sheets (PDF)

Learn Rishon aliya 6:9-10 (MP3)

1:10pm Zoom

Prepare Rishon aliya 6:13-14

Finish learning Rishon Aliya 6:11-12 from Oct 18-23

Please bring a printout of everything we’re working on — Torah, Haftara, Torah Service — so you can make notes as to the things we’re working on, so fixes get remembered at home. VERY IMPORTANT.

1:10pm ZOOM

Prepare Rishon 6:13-14

1:10pm ZOOM

Prepare Rishon 6:15-16

Smooth out from 6:9 to the end of 6:14 (ie., up to where you’ve learned)

Don’t forget to review everything learned so far, including your davening!

1:10pm ZOOM

Prepare Rishon 6:15-16

1:10pm
ZOOM

Prepare Rishon 6:17

Finish learning Rishon 6:16

Learn first half of 6:17 (up to “mayim al ha’aretz) (MP3)

1:10pm

ZOOM

Prepare rest of 6:17, and 6:18

In 6:17, work on pronunciation of “l’-sha-CHEIT”.

Learn 6:18 (MP3)

1:10pm

Prepare Rishon 6:19-20 (2 weeks’ worth of learning. No lesson next week

(And review work we at today’s lesson)

And keep reviewing and smoothing out all previous material!

Prepare Rishon 6:21

1:10pm

Prepare Rishon 6:21

1:10pm

Prepare Rishon 6:22

Go back to audio files and smooth out all the things we circled on your page (Rishon), up to “mayim al ha’aretz” (v17)

1:10pm

Do circling from v17, work on sticky areas

I’ll be meeting with your dad tomorrow to discuss goals going forward, particularly around the COVID landscape.

NEW LENGTH:

1:10-130pm

Review Rishon Aliya

Review Maftir Aliya

Review Haftara

We’ll decide what to do next based on discussion with your dad.

1. In your first homework session, Listen to the assigned audio files, each phrase separately, at least 15 times each. Let it sink in! Best practice is to listen a couple more times in a second sitting before trying to sing along.

2. Sing along with the audio files many times until it is identical, smooth and confident. If there are glitches, use the slider to “rewind” and review a word or two at a time until identical. You’ll know you’re ready for step 3 when the audio recording feels too slow or is ‘holding you back’.

3. Sing the whole assignment without the audio file (as you will in your next lesson).

Use this approach every week, and knock my socks off with how well you know it!

AND, 4. every week, you MUST review at least once, everything learned to date, and FIX any glitches.

Learn Sheini aliya, 7:1 (MP3)

1:10pm

Prepare 7:2-3

Fix up the trope melody of “Orech HaTeiva” in Rishon, 6:15 — it’s just a two-word musical phrase (MP3). Listen 15 times to those few words. Practice going on to “chamishim amah rochbah” – it’s the same trope phrase as you just sang, so don’t be thrown off by that.

1:10pm

Prepare 7:4-6

1:10pm

Prepare 7:4-6

Learn Sheini 7:4-6 (MP3)

1:10pm

Prepare Sheini 7:7-9

Make sure from now on, you bring your PRINTED sheets to school, (a) so we can write helper notes, and (b) to get used to reading it on a flat surface, like in the Torah.

Start paying a little bit closer attention to the trope symbols to remind you of how to sing the words.

1:10pm

Prepare Sheini 7:10-11

Smooth out last week’s homework.

1:10pm

Prepare Sheini 7:12-13

1:10pm

Prepare Sheini 7:15-16

1:10pm

Prepare Sh’vi’i – 1st 2-3 verses

1:10pm

Prepare sheini 7:5-8 from left side

1:10pm

1:10pm

Review Maftir LEFT side

Start to review Rishon for Left Hand Side

Learn Sh’vi’i aliya, 11:1-2 (MP3 – this is a recording of the entire aliya) from 0’00 timestamp

1:10pm

Review Aliya Sh’vi’i 11:1-2

Prepare Aliya Sh’vi’i, 11:3-4

Keep smoothing out note “edits” in 11:1-2 from last week

1:10pm

1:10pm

Prepare Sh’vi’i 11:5-6 (maybe half of 7)

1:10pm

Prepare Sh’vi’i 11:7-10

Prepare Sh’vi’i 11:11-12

Go back and practice all the words we’ve written in by hand in english letters so that you’re pronouncing all the words correctly. The best way to get most of it correct is to SLOW DOWN YOUR ENTIRE READING.

Learn “Shv’i’i” aliya 3, 11:13 (as an sof-aliya ending)

Keep practicing and smoothing out all the mini-aliyot (triennial readings) in Sh’vi’i so far.

Review mini-aliyot 1 & 2

Prepare all of mini-aliya 4, 11:14-17

1:10pm

Review Aliya 1-3

Prepare Aliya 5, verses 18-21

When reviewing aliyot 1-3, watch out for “sheim” vs. “sham”; Ar-pach-shad; accents of words like “SHE-lach”; and “shanim” vs “shanah” vs “sh’nayim”

1:10pm

Review mini aliya 5

Prepare mini aliya 6

Review Haftara with blessings

1:10-1:45pm

ZOOM

Prepare mini Aliya 7

Make sure you pay attention to the correct tropes and accents of the words. The audio file doesn’t lie!

No lesson next week, then we meet IN PERSON on THURSDAY the following week.

1:10-1:50pm

SANCTUARY

Review all Torah

Review davening as time permits

1:10-1:30pm

ZOOM

1:10-1:30

Review Triennial Shabbat reading (sh’vi’i broken up)

1:10-1:50pm

ZOOM

Review Triennial Sh’vi’i for Jacksonville

I would recommend that you ask your Jacksonville Rabbi or Cantor for photos of the text of the entire Shabbat morning Torah reading from the scroll you’ll be using on the day, so you can practice from it. We don’t want potential differences in the script of that scroll to throw you off on the day because you’re used to a different layout.