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
| 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). |
|
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. |
|
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 |
| _____________ | ____________________ |
Torah/Haftara Trope Sheet (PDF)
Torah Blessings (PDF)
| 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)
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
Manny reading aliya 6 (PDF & MP3)