Nathan, 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. It is your responsibility to check this page to ensure it’s working properly right after each lesson, and let Cantor Green know if there’s a problem right away.
VERY IMPORTANT – MUST READ: KBI B’nei Mitzvah Handbook
| DATE/TIME | GOALS | HOMEWORK ASSIGNED |
| Tue, Jun 22, 2021
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. Get a looseleaf binder (one with sheet pockets – not a 3-ring binder because the holes break easily!) Print IN COLOUR:
PRINT (B&W):
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| We, Aug 18
CJG ZOOM 5-5:20pm |
NOTE: We’re going to start with Torah rather than Haftara as I need to get a sense first of our rate of learning before jumping into the somewhat long haftara.Prepare Torah Trope |
Learn Torah Trope like a song (PDF | MP3)
I mentioned the wrong next lesson day/time at the end of our call. It’s actually MONDAY next week (only!), 5pm. |
| Mo, Aug 23
5-5:20pm SKYPE (jgreen361) |
Review Torah Trope | Finish learning trope sheet using MP3 from last week, HOWEVER, for the last 4 words, switch to this MP3. Use the first half of that audio file a BUNCH of times to do ‘repeat-after-me’ work, and when you are ready, use the second half, where those words are sung straight-through… make sure you’re singing the correct notes. If not, go back and work more with the first half of the new audio file. |
| Tu, Aug 31
5-5:20pm |
Review Torah Trope
Prepare Maftir 20:19 |
Learn Maftir aliya, 20:19 (MP3) |
| Tu, Sep 7 | NO LESSON – Keep studying the homework! | |
| Tu, Sep 14
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare Maftir 20:20 and first 3rd of 20:21 (to v’et sh’lamecha) |
Learn both words AND music notes for Maftir 20:19-20 (MP3) |
| Rest of Sept | NO LESSONS – SUKKOT | Learn Maftir 20:21 (MP3) in TWO CHUNKS, one each week we’re off.
Make sure you learn the music at the same time as the words. Also, be careful to distinguish between “h” and “ch”, as in the audio file. |
| Tu, Oct 5
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare Maftir 20:21 first half |
Learn Maftir 20:21 (MP3) in up to “et-sh’lamecha“, the last (compound) word on printed line 5. In the audio file, it’s from the beginning up to 0:19 seconds.
Make sure you learn the music at the same time as the words. Also, be careful to distinguish between “h” and “ch”, as in the audio file (ie., adamah, not adamach!) |
| Tu, Oct 12
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare 2nd half of 20:21 from et tzon’cha |
Learn 2nd half of 20:21 (MP3)
Make sure you can do all of 20:21 (MP3) As always, practice the whole maftir from the beginning |
| Tu, Oct 19
5-5:20pm |
Review maftir to date
Prepare maftir 20:22 |
Learn 20:22 (MP3) |
| Tu, Oct 26 | NO LESSON – CANTOR AWAY, but do this week’s homework: | Learn 20:23 (MP3) |
| Tu, Nov 2
5-5:20pm |
Review entire maftir!
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Smooth out and get confident with 20:22-23 using the MP3s from the last 2 lessons |
| Tu, Nov 9
5-5:20pm |
Review entire maftir
Prepare Torah blessings |
Finish learning maftir 20:23 (MP3)
Learn blessing before Torah reading (from Bar’chu) (PDF | MP3) |
| Tu, Nov 16
5-5:20pm |
Review entire maftir
Review & work on Blessing before the Torah reading Prepare Blessing after the Torah reading |
Smooth out entire maftir so that you can chant the whole thing with minimal ‘pausing’.
Smooth out the blessing before the Torah reading from Bar’chu (PDF | MP3) |
| Tu, Nov 23
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir with Blessing and After Torah Reading | Finish learning the blessing after the Torah reading (PDF | MP3) |
| Tu, Nov 30 | NO BM LESSON – Chanukah | Review your entire maftir and blessings so they’re SUPER SMOOTH and confident. The goal for next week is to start singing the maftir from the RIGHTHAND side of the page, which has no vowels, punctuation, or trope, which is exactly the way it looks in the Torah itself.
Start coming to synagogue for Saturday morning services, every week you’re available between now and your bar mitzvah. Services start at 9am and end at 11:45am. There is usually a kiddush luncheon afterwards. Per your family’s decision, with my caveats as discussed, we’re going to DIVE into learning the haftara with its blessings. You’re going to have to learn about 6 p’sukim per week to complete it and have time for the blessings. I’ll add your homework as usual. Use the PDFs, MP3s and the table below as you learn. Good luck! YOU CAN DO THIS! That said, if I believe it’s not a reasonable goal after giving it a shot, we’ll discuss alternative plans. Remember, you have to keep practicing your maftir with blessings as well. We don’t want those to get rusty as we fill your brain with haftara material! The first thing to learn is the blessing before the Haftara (PDF | MP3). See if you can learn that by Sunday morning, our first extra lesson. |
| Su, Dec 5
9:30-10am (Extra Lesson 1) |
Prepare Blessing before Haftara
Prepare Haftara 6:1-4 Review Maftir (entirely) with Blessings from the STA”M side |
Learn Blessing BEFORE Haftara (PDF | MP3)
Learn Blessings AFTER Haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4) |
| Tu, Dec 7
5-5:20pm SKYPE |
Review Blessing before Haftara
Review Blessings after Haftara to date Keep working on remaining blessings |
Finish learning blessing before Haftara
Learn first half of blessing 1 after haftara All the links for that are in this past Sunday’s homework. My profession opinion is that we will need to focus on and try to learn all the blessings surrounding the haftara, but probably we won’t be able to do the haftara itself. If another family member would like to take on that challenge/honour, let Cantor Green know. |
| Tu, Dec 14
5-5:20pm |
Review Blessing before Haftara
Review Blessing 1 after haftara Prepare Blessings 2 & 3 after haftara |
Learn blessings 2 and 3 after haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4) |
| **Wednesday, Dec 22nd
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Haftara Blessings to date
Blessing 3 wasn’t loading. Review/Prepare Blessing 3 after haftara Prepare Blessing 4 after Haftara |
NOTE: If anything isn’t working on your page, please let Cantor Green know ASAP at the beginning of your week so he can fix it and you won’t lose any time.
Learn blessings 3 and 4 after haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4) |
| Dec 28 | NO LESSON – CANTOR AWAY | Keep learning blessings 3 and 4 after haftara
Review all 5 haftara blessings (including the one before haftara) Make sure your maftir aliya is in good shape, as well as the blessings before it and after it! |
| Tu, Jan 4,
5-5:20pm |
Review all Haftara Blessings
Work on Blessing 3 after haftara |
Make Blessing 3 (Sam’cheinu) after haftara absolutely perfect — words and notes. Use the audio file at least 15 times before going back to singing along and singing on your own. |
| Tu, Jan 11
5-5:20pm |
Review Blessings 1-3 after haftara
Prepare Blessing 4 after haftara |
Learn Blessing 4 after the haftara (the whole thing) (PDF | Audio: Blessing 4)
Print PDF of new maftir (B’har) IN COLOUR (PDF) |
| Tu, Jan 18
5-5:20pm |
Review blessings after haftara
Prepare Maftir 25:55 |
Learn Maftir 25:55 (MP3), ie., just up to the first “eloheichem”
Work on Blessing #4, transition from “ul-tif-aret” into “Al HaKol“. To help you get the melody for Al HaKol, you can sing to yourself the start of blessing 4 (Al HaTorah…). |
| Tu, Jan 25
5-5:20pm |
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| **We, Feb 2
4:20-4:40pm |
Review Blessings after Haftara
Review Maftir 25:55 Prepare Maftir 26:1, first half |
Learn Maftir 26:1 first half, up to b’ar-tz’chem from 0:23 of the audio file below
Print and Touch up the blessing after the Torah reading (PDF) |
| Tu, Feb 8
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir to date with Torah blessings
Prepare 2nd half of maftir 26:1 |
Touch up first half of 26:1 from last week
Learn rest of maftir 26:1 (from l’hish-tachavot) Touch up blessing after Torah reading |
| Tu, Feb 15
5-5:20pm |
Review maftir to date with Torah blessings
Prepare Maftir 26:2 Review Torah blessings |
Learn Maftir 26:2 from 1:04 to the end
Learn Haftara B’har 32:6-7, using the MP3 and haftara table below (ie., verse 6 starts at 0:00 of the MP3; verse 7 starts at 0:11) |
| Tu, Feb 22
5-5:20pm |
Review Maftir (entire)
Review Haftara to date Prepare Haftara 32:7 |
Fix the melody of “v’even maskit” in 26:1 – make sure it’s a proper r’vi’i phrase. Use the audio file to remind you what it should sound like.
Learn Haftara 32:7 |
| **We, Mar 2
**3:40-4:00pm |
Review maftir (checking for V’even Maskit trope)
Review Haftara to date Prepare Haftara 32:8 up to et sadi asher ba-anatot. |
Learn Haftara 32:8 up to et sadi asher ba-anatot |
| Tu, Mar 8
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare REST of 32:8 and 32:9 (you’ll have 2 weeks to learn it) |
Over the next two weeks (no lesson next week), learn REST of 32:8 and 32:9. I suggest one of those each week. |
| Tu, Mar 15 | NO LESSON – Keep learning 32:8-9 | |
| Tu, Mar 22
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 32:9-10 |
Finish learning Haftara 32:9-10
Go back and smooth out your maftir |
| Tu, Mar 29
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 32:11 and 32:12 up to ben mach-seiya Review Maftir |
Learn 32:11 and 32:12 up to ben mach-seiya
Practice in maftir “v’even mas-keet” tune Keep smoothing out all of your material so far! |
| Tu, Apr 5
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare rest of 33:12 Review Maftir (partic. v’even maskit) |
Learn rest of 32:12-13
Keep reviewing all of haftara! |
| Tu, Apr 12
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 33:14 up to v’eit he-chatum |
Haftara 32:14 |
| Tu, Apr 19 | NO LESSON – PASSOVER | Keep learning 32:14. If you can manage some or all of 32:15, please do! |
| Tu, Apr 26
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara to date
Finish preparing Haftara 32:14 and prepare 32:15 |
Finish learning Haftara 32:14 and learn 32:15-16
Work on getting skype back up and running. Test it with someone during the week. You may have to update the app, or just reboot your computer. Sometimes that magically works! |
| Tu, May 3
5-5:20pm |
Review Haftara from 32:12 to 32:16
Prepare Haftara 32:17-19 |
Learn Haftara 32:17-18 (and 19 if possible!)
Keep practicing everything we’ve learned so far! Keep it smooth and well-oiled. |
| Tu, May 10
5-5:20pm SKYPE |
Review Haftara from 32:15
Prepare Haftara next 2-3 verses |
Keep smoothing out 32:19-20
Learn Haftara 32:21 ONLY IF 19-21 IS IN GREAT SHAPE, learn Haftara 32:22. |
| Tu, May 17
5-5:20pm SKYPE |
Review everything! | Learn rest of haftara – 32:24 to the end. |
| TH, May 19
7:15am MINYAN followed by breakfast FULL RUNTHROUGH |
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| _________________ | ___________________________ |
Torah/Haftara Trope Sheet (PDF)
Torah Blessings (PDF)
Maftir Aliya (B’har) (PDF | MP3)
Blessing before Haftara (PDF | MP3)
Haftara B’har (PDF| MP3), all in Jeremiah, Ch 22
| 6 – 0:00 | 7 – 0:11 | 8 – 0:48 | 9 – 1:59 | 10 – 2:29 | 11 – 2:49 | 12 – 3:08 | 13 – 3:57 |
| 14 – 4:08 | 15 – 5:02 | 16 – 5:28 | 17 – 5:49 | 18 – 6:26 | 19 – 6:55 | 20 – 7:28 | 21 – 7:58 |
| 22 – 8:28 | 23 – 8:54 | 24 – 9:39 | 25 – 10:29 | 26 – 11:03 | 27 – 11:14 |
Torah Service (PDF)
Blessings after Haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4)
Blessing before Haftara – DONE
Haftara – IN PROGRESS
Blessings after Haftara – DONE
Blessings before and after Torah reading – DONE
Maftir aliya – DONE
D’var Torah (with Rabbi Kenter) –