Jordan, use this page 3-4 times each week to prepare for your Bar Mitzvah. To ensure simcha success, please use the tools and downloadable items provided here to learn and practice your training assignments between visits with Cantor Green. For questions, e-mail me at cantor@kehillatbethisrael.com or call/text me at 613-327-3984.
VERY IMPORTANT – MUST READ: KBI B’nei Mitzvah Handbook
| DATE/TIME | GOALS | HOMEWORK ASSIGNED |
| Th, Jan 21
6:15-6:50pm ZOOM |
Intro to B’nei Mitzvah Process
Intro to Webpage Goal Setting Lesson Time |
STUDY METHOD (always have your printouts/pages in front of you)
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. Homework for this week: Get a looseleaf binder (with sheet pockets) |
| Th, Jan 28
5:00-5:20pm SKYPE |
Prepare Blessing before Torah reading | Learn Blessing before Torah reading (PDF | MP3)
Figure out as a family when you want your bar mitzvah to be! |
| Th, Feb 4
5:00-5:20pm |
Review Blessing before Torah reading
Prepare Blessing after Torah reading Prepare Torah Trope like a song, first half |
Learn Blessing after Torah reading (PDF | MP3)
Learn Torah Trope “song”, first half – up to the first “sof pasuk” at the end of line 4 (PDF | MP3) |
| Th, Feb 11
5-5:20pm |
Review both Torah blessings
Review Torah Trope 1st half Prepare Torah Trope, 2nd half |
Learn second half of Torah Trope (PDF | MP3) |
| Th, Feb 18
5-5:20pm |
Review Trope
Prepare Maftir, 40:20 |
Learn Maftir 40:20 (PDF | MP3) – Print out the PDF in colour
You have TWO weeks to learn this. Remember, this is two weeks’ worth of material, so don’t leave it all for the second week. |
| Th, Feb 25 | NO LESSON, but come to the KBI Megillah reading on Zoom, Thursday at 6pm at Location: | Keep studying above! |
| Th, Mar 4 | NO LESSON – MARCH BREAK (QUEBEC) | |
| Th, Mar 11
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare Maftir 40:21-22 |
Learn Maftir 40:21-22 (MP3) |
| Th, Mar 18
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare Maftir 40:23 Review Blessings before and after Torah reading Prepare Haftara Trope 1st half like a song |
Learn Maftir 40:23 (MP3)
Learn first half of Haftara Trope Sheet — first 4 lines up to sof pasuk (PDF | MP3) |
| Th, Mar 25 | NO LESSON, but please do homework ==> | Learn second half of Haftara Trope Sheet (PDF | MP3) |
| Th, Apr 1
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir aliya with blessings
Review Haftara Trope Sheet Prepare Blessing before Haftara |
Learn Blessing before Haftara (PDF | MP3)
Print Haftara IN COLOUR for next lesson if you haven’t done so already (PDF) |
| Th, Apr 8
5-5:20pm |
Review Blessing before Haftara
Prepare Haftara 2:6 If time, review maftir |
Learn Haftara 2:6 using materials below.
Keep smoothing out blessing before Haftara |
| Th, Apr 15
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Review maftir with Torah Blessings |
Finish learning blessing before Haftara (PDF | MP3)
Every week from now on, you must do step 4 above, practice everything we’ve learned so far at least once each week to keep it fresh and in-memory right up to your bar mitzvah. |
| Th, Apr 22
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date with Blessing
Prepare Haftara 2:7-8 |
Learn Haftara 2:7 & 2:8 using the materials below |
| Th, Apr 29
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:9 |
Learn Haftara 2:9 using the materials below (1:21 mark) |
| Th, May 6
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:10 |
Smooth out blessing before Haftara (it was a little ‘off’ this week — nothing to worry too much about, but good to go over it at home).
Learn Haftara 2:10 (1:58 in the audio file below) |
| Th, May 13
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:11-12 |
Learn Haftara 2:11-12 (2:24 and 2:48 respectively, in the audio file below) |
| Th, May 20 | Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:13 and half of 2:14 |
Finish learning Haftara 2:11-12 (using the table below for timings)
Learn the first 4 words of 2:13… if you have time, try to learn the whole of 2:13! |
| Th, May 27 | Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:13 (rest of it) |
Learn 2:13 (3min, 9sec mark)
Be careful not to change keys — if you suddenly find yourself too low, stop and make sure you’re doing the trope right — go back to the audio file for those words if needed to confirm. Practice “v’yein anushim YISH-tu” (not yash-tu) in v8 |
| Th, Jun 3
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:14-15 |
Learn 2:14-15 (3min, 31sec in the audio file below)
Practice going right from your Haftara blessing into the haftara (with just a small pause between them for the congregation to say “amen”). Remember that EACH WEEK you must practice, at least once, everything we’ve learned together so far, so you never get rusty or forget the material. |
| Th, Jun 10
5-5:20pm IN PERSON |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 2:16 and 3:1 |
Learn Haftara 2:16 (4:16 timestamp)
and Learn Haftara 3:1 (4:35 timestamp) |
| Mo, Jun 21
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara 2:16 and 3:1
Prepare Haftara 3:2 |
Fix up verse 14 so that your compound words are sung ‘quickly’ with no trope on the first part of the word. Use the audio file to confirm the proper melody and word pronunciation
Touch up 14 to 16 and 3:1 so they all flow smoothly. |
| Jul 1-31 | NO LESSON – CANADA DAY/CJG VACATION/ JORDAN SUMMER CAMP |
Maintain everything learned so far while you’re away! |
| Th, Aug 5
3:40-4pm |
Review Haftara up to 3:1
Prepare Haftara 3:2 |
Learn Haftara 3:2 (5:14 in the audio file) |
| Th, Aug 19
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Review Maftir with blessings Prepare Haftara 3:3-4 |
Learn Haftara 3:3-4 (5:38 and 5:51 in the audio file)
This Shabbat morning is the Bar Mitzvah of your “classmate”, Leo Carroll. Try to watch the livestream from around 9:30am to see what a Bar Mitzvah is like at KBI, and support your peer. |
| Th, Sep 2
5-5:20pm |
NO LESSON – CANTOR GREEN CALLED AWAY
Review Haftara to date Prepare Haftara 3:5-6 |
Learn Haftara 3:5-6 (from 6:18 of the audio file) |
| Th, Sep 9
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 3:7-8 (last 2 verses!) |
|
| Th, Oct 7
5-5:20pm |
Prepare Blessing after Haftara #1 | Smooth out Last page of Haftara
Blessings after Haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4) – sorry it’s a little low. LMK if you need higher audio files. Print out above PDF, blessings after Haftara Learn Blessing 1 after haftara this week. |
| Th, Oct 14
5-5:20pm |
Review Last page of haftara
Review Blessing 1 after Haftara Prepare Haftara Blessings #2 |
Finish learning Blessing #1 after haftara
Learn Blessing #2 after haftara |
| Th, Oct 21
5-5:20pm |
Review last page of haftara
Review Blessings after Haftara 1 & 2 Prepare Blessing 3 after Haftara Remember to review your maftir aliya from the left side of the page. |
Learn Blessing #3 after Haftara |
| Th, Oct 28
5-5:20pm |
Review Blessings after Haftara to date
Prepare Blessing 4 after haftara |
Learn first half of Blessing 4 after Haftara (up to ul-tif-Aret)
Review Haftara with blessing before |
| Th, Nov 4
5-5:20pm |
Review blessings after Haftara
Prepare 2nd half of blessing 4 after haftara |
Touch up melody of first half of Blessing 4
Learn 2nd half of Blessing 4 after Haftara Be careful to leave a break after each “Baruch Ata Adonai” for the congregational response Practice your Blessings before and after the Maftir, making sure you observe the “Cong. then Jordan” 2nd line. |
| Th, Nov 11
5-5:20pm |
Review blessings after Haftara
Review Haftara |
Smooth out haftara and blessings so you need less help getting certain lines started. |
| Th, Nov 18
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara again with Blessings | As you practice your haftara in the home stretch, make sure you’re singing the tropes correctly, particularly mapach-pashta combinations. You’re tending to switch them around, leading you to ‘dead-ends’ or unfamiliar territory.
Very important — make sure your blessings after the haftara are smooth and confident. You should REALLY use this week to focus on Bar Mitzvah prep. Put aside other discretionary activities and favour your haftara/blessings practice! 🙂 |
| Minyan & Runthrough day (Mo/Thu) TBD | ||
| _______________ | _________________________________ |
Torah/Haftara Trope Sheet (PDF)
Blessings after Haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4)
| 2:6 – 0’00 | 2:7 – 0’29 | 2:8 – 1’01 | 2:9 – 1’21 | 2:10 – 1’58 |
| 2:11 – 2’24 | 2:12 – 2’48 | 2:13 – 3’09 | 2:14 – 3’31 | 2:15 – 3’51 |
| 2:16 – 4’16 | 3:1 – 4’35 | 3:2 – 5’14 | 3:3 – 5’38 | 3:4 – 5’51 |
| 3:5 – 6’18 | 3:6 – 6’46 | 3:7 – 7’10 | 3:8 – 7’36 |
Maftir (PDF)
Haftara Trope Primer – DONE
Blessing before Haftara – DONE
Haftara – DONE
Blessings after Haftara (4) – IN PROGRESS
Blessings before and after Torah reading – DONE
Torah Trope Primer – DONE
Maftir Aliya – DONE
D’var Torah (with Rabbi Kenter) – IN PROGRESS