Jaxon Olszynko’s Personalized Bar Mitzvah Page

Jaxon, 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 ONLINE

Bar Mitzvah Date: SATURDAY, APRIL 29th, 2023, 9:00am
PARASHAT “ACHAREI MOT / K’DOSHIM”
8 Iyyar, 5783

Tutoring Schedule – Starting Wed, Aug. 10: Wednesdays, 5:40-6:00pm IN PERSON AT KBI

DATE/TIME GOALS HOMEWORK ASSIGNED
Th, Aug 4, 2022

5:15-6:00pm

IN PERSON @ KBI

Intro to B’nei Mitzvah Process

BM Folder

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.

We, Aug 10

5:40-6pm

Prepare Blessing Before Torah reading Learn Blessing Before Torah Reading (PDF | MP3)
We, Aug 17

5:40-6pm

Review Blessing before Torah Reading

Prepare Blessing after Torah reading

Finish smoothing out the blessing before Torah reading

Learn Blessing after Torah reading (PDF | MP3)

Use the homework technique above! Make sure you practice 3 times each week, or better, every day. Make yourself proud!

We, Aug 24

5:40-6pm

Review both Torah blessings

Prepare Torah Trope, first half

Smooth out blessing after Torah reading (especially 3rd line. Use English transliterations for this week, then erase!)

Learn Torah Trope (PDF | MP3) up to Zakeif Gadol (middle of printed line 3)

We, Aug 31

5:40-6pm

Review Blessings before and after Torah reading

Review Torah Trop up to Zakeif Gadol

Prepare Torah trop from Mercha Tip’cha up to T’lisha G’dolah

Learn Torah trop from Mercha Tip’cha up to T’lisha G’dolah

Smooth out blessing after Torah reading. Make that third line super smooth!

We, Sep 7

5:40-6pm

Review Torah Blessings

Review Torah trope to date

Prepare rest of the Torah trope

Smooth out mercha tip’cha to t’lisha g’dolah

Learn Kadma v’azla to Ger-shayim

We, Sep 14 NO LESSON – Jaxon not available.

Do homework at right and keep reviewing everything so far

Learn Torah Trope from Darga to the end, skipping the words (as the audio file does) that are in red parentheses and crossed off. Those are exceedingly rare tropes and we don’t need those for your Torah portion.
We, Sep 21 NO LESSON – CJG Week of HHs Prep Keep reviewing and smoothing out everything learned so far
We, Sep 28

5:40-6pm

Review Torah Trope Finish smoothing out from Darga to the end, skipping the words (as the audio file does) that are in red parentheses and crossed off.

Make the whole Torah Trope Sheet smooth and confident.

Remember, every week, you must review and keep fresh everything we’ve learned so far.

**Th, Oct 6

5:40-6pm

Review Torah Trope

Prepare Maftir verse 25, first half, up to latahor

Learn Maftir verse 25, first half, up to latahor. Use the MP3 listed with “Maftir K’doshim”, below, and use the table to find the starting point in the audio file for the verse we’re working on (in this case, at 0:00, or the beginning).
We, Oct 12

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir v25 up to latahor

Prepare next 1/3 of v25

CANCELLED – SUKKOT
We, Oct 26

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir v25 up to latahor

Prepare next 1/3 of v25

Learn maftir up to uva-of

Review and smooth out last week’s maftir homework so you can do both in succession

We, Nov 2

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir to date

Prepare rest of v25

Prepare Shishi aliya for Manny including recording

1. Learn maftir v25 from uv-chol to the end of that sentence (l’tamei)

THEN

2. Touch up and smooth out the first part of v25 (from beginning up to uva-of)

We, Nov 9

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir to date Maftir vs 25 is not in great shape yet. Need to spend more time on your BarM homework and use the study technique in the top box of this column…

For next lesson, in about 2 weeks, make sure your verse 25 is stunningly beautiful, smooth, and confident!

Need to work out a potential Monday lesson (Nov 21) as I’ll be on vaca Nov. 23-26.

We, Nov 16 NO LESSON – Cantor away
**Mo, Nov 21

LESSON DIDN’T HAPPEN.

Review maftir vs 25

Prepare maftir vs 26 up to Ani Adonai.

We, Nov 30 NO LESSON – JAXON ILL

Hey Jaxon. Wishing you better! Please do the homework at right as you’re able.

We’re going to pare back the expectation to do other parts of the service so you can take your time on the 3-verse maftir. Since we’ve been working on verse 25 for a couple of months now, I’d like you to commit to making all of verse 25 correct, smooth and confident this week so we can move forward to the following verse next week.

Remember, you can do this by taking initiative, setting aside time for yourself to study — really study (using the homework method in the top box of this column), and feeling great about your accomplishments. I’ll be able to tell — and compliment you — when you’ve worked hard! 🙂

We, Dec 7

5:40-6pm

Review maftir v25

Prepare maftir v26 up to Ani Adonai.

Learn maftir v26 up to Ani Adonai.

Go back and smooth out v25 from uv’chol asher tir-mos

In the blessing after Torah reading, make sure you get confident with b’-to-cheinu.

We, Dec 14

5:40-6pm

Review maftir to date

Prepare rest of v26

Review Blessing after Torah Reading

Learn 20:26  last 5 words (from va-avdil to li)

Make sure you practice doing the whole maftir from the beginning.

We, Dec 21 Review Maftir to date Learn 20:26  last 5 words (from va-avdil to li)
We, Dec 28 NO LESSON – WINTER BREAK
We, Jan 4

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir to date

Prepare 20:27 up to ov

Review Torah Blessings

1. Learn new material – 20:27 up to “ov“.

2. Smooth out from 20:26

We, Jan 11

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir to date

Prepare Maftir 20:27 up to yumatu

1. Learn Maftir 20:27 up to yumatu

2. Smooth out verse 20:26

We, Jan 18

5:40-6pm

ZOOM (CJG ill)

Review Maftir to date

Finish learning maftir!

Finish learning 20:27, making sure 2nd-to-last word is pronounced correctly: “D’-mei-hem
We, Jan 25

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir entirely!

Prepare Blessing before Haftara

Smooth out the notes of the end of the maftir – ba-E-e-e-ven, yir-g’mu o-TAM, d’meiheim bam

Learn first half of Blessing Before Haftara (up to be-e-met) (PDF | MP3)

We, Feb 1

JAXON DIDN’T COME TO LESSON. Scheduling mix up at home.

Review Maftir (smooth ending!)

Review Blessing Before Haftara first half

Prepare rest of Blessing before Haftara

Keep working on homework from last week’s lesson. You will have had two weeks to really make it smooth!
We, Feb 8

5:40-6pm

Review Maftir (smooth ending!)

Review Blessing Before Haftara first half

Prepare rest of Blessing before Haftara

Learn rest of blessing before haftara

Smooth out first half by looking at the markings we’ve made on the tricky words and listening to the audio files doing what we wrote. Sing along and make it all smooth.

We, Feb 15

5:40-6pm

Review maftir

Review Blessing before Haftara

Finish smoothing out blessing before Haftara
We, Feb 22

5:40-6pm

Review Blessing before Haftara

Prepare Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu

Learn Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu, p141 (PDF | MP3)
We, Mar 1

5:40-6pm

Review Blessing before Haftara

Review & Work on Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu

Review Maftir with 2 Torah blessings

Perfect your delivery of Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu, p141 (PDF | MP3)
We, Mar 8

5:40-6pm

Review Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu

Prepare Kiddush (just main blessing for now)

Learn Kiddush 1-line blessing (PDF | MP3) but only from 1:54 of the audio file.

Practice starting it with “Sav-ree Chavay-rai”

Smooth out Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu Ladonai Eetee

We, Mar 15 NO LESSON – CJG VACATION
We, Mar 22

5:40-6pm

Review Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu

Prepare Kiddush 1-liner from Sav-ree

Review Maftir with Torah blessings

Learn Kiddush 1-line blessing (PDF | MP3) but only from 1:54 of the audio file.

Practice starting it with “Sav-ree Chavay-rai”

We, Mar 29

5:40-6pm

Review Kiddush 1-line from Savree

Confirm Jaxon knows V’sham’ru refrain (he does)

Review Maftir with blessings

Review Sh’ma/Echad Gad’lu

Keep reviewing everything learned so far — we’re done learning new material (mainly because Passover now interrupts our remaining time). You did great!!

Next lesson is April 19th

We’ll schedule a bimah runthrough for the week after that, leading up to your bar mitzvah

We, Apr 19

5:40-6pm

Review everything
We, Apr 26

5:40-6pm

Review everything! See “goals”, below. Smooth out blessing before Haftara
_____________ ____________________

Downloads (click to open, right-click to save to your computer)

Torah/Haftara Trope Sheet (PDF)

Torah Blessings (PDF)

Maftir K’doshim (PDF | MP3)

20:25 – 0:00 26 – 0:40 27 – 1:00

Blessing before Haftara (PDF)

Haftara (PDF | MP3), all in Amos Ch9

7 – 0:00 8 – 0:33 9 – 1:14 10 – 1:40 11 – 2:04
12 – 2:34 13 – 2:58 14 – 3:30 15 – 4:08

Blessings after Haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4)

Torah Service (PDF)

Goals in order of priority

Sh’ma/Echad/Gad’lu – DONE

Blessings before and after Torah reading – DONE

Blessing before Haftara – DONE

Haftara – NOT DOING

Blessings after Haftara – OMIT, NOT DOING

Maftir aliya – DONE

D’var Torah (with Rabbi Kenter) – IN PROGRESS

Chorus for V’sham’ru – DONE

Kiddush (Baruch… Borei P’ri HaGafen) – DONE

 

Notes

Manny reading aliya 6 (PDF & MP3)