Benny, 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 lessons. 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 me know if there’s a problem right away.
VERY IMPORTANT – MUST READ: KBI B’nei Mitzvah Handbook ONLINE
| DATE/TIME | GOALS | HOMEWORK ASSIGNED |
| We, Dec. 14, 2022
In-person |
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. |
| Th, Jan 26
4:40-5:00pm |
Provide B’nei Mitzvah Red Folder, discuss link, bookmark it!
Prepare Blessings before and after Torah Reading |
Learn Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After) |
| Th, Feb 2
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah Blessings
Prepare Torah Trope Sheet |
1. Touch up blessings before and after Torah reading, using the audio files (above, or in the downloads section below) and the home study method in the top box of this column.
2. LISTEN 15 times to the Torah Trope Sheet audio file, with the sheet in front of you, and focusing more on the symbols than on the words (names of the trope) (PDF | Torah Trope) THIS TUESDAY IS THE B’NEI MITZVAH INFORMATION SESSION FOR FAMILIES CURRENTLY IN PRIVATE LESSONS, 6:45PM |
| Th, Feb 9
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah blessings
Prepare Torah Trope sheet |
Go back one more time to the Torah blessings and make the notes of every new musical phrase (each Baruch and asher, etc.) start low and go high (like in the audio file).
Learn first half of Torah Trope Sheet, up to “Stop” |
| Th, Feb 16
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah Blessings for the notes
Review Torah Trope 1st half Prepare Torah Trope 2nd half |
Learn 2nd half of Torah Trope sheet from pazeir
Remember to go back and smooth out the first half, so you can sing all the proper notes/tropes from the beginning to the end. |
| Th, Feb 23
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah Blessings for the notes
Review Torah Trope Sheet Prepare Chamishi, 9:8-9 Review Torah Blessings |
Learn Chamishi, 9:8-9 using the MP3 (audio file) and table below.
Smooth out blessing after Torah reading (the short one, second side) |
| Th, Mar 2
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare Chamishi, 9:10 |
Learn Chamishi, 9:10. Make sure you LISTEN to the audio file at least 15-20 times in a row. That will help you internalize the long sentence more easily |
| Th, Mar 9
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare Chamishi, 9:11 |
Learn Chamishi, 9:11 |
| Th, Mar 16/23 | NO LESSONS (CJG & SACHS’ VACA) | Keep reviewing everything so far. Please take your stuff to Israel! |
| Th, Mar 30
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare Chamishi 9:11 |
No lessons the next 2 weeks because of Passover.
Learn Chamishi, 9:11 using the audio file below |
| Th, Apr 20
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Finish Preparing Chamishi 9:12 Prepare Chamishi 9:13 |
Finish Learning Chamishi, 9:12
Learn Chamishi 9:13 |
| Th, May 4
N/A |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare 9:14 and half of 9:15 |
NO LESSON TODAY AFTER ALL, BUT PLEASE DO HOMEWORK:
Learn Chamishi, 9:14 and half of 9:15, up to uveineichem |
| Th, May 11
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare Chamishi 9:12-13 |
Finish learning Chamishi, 9:12 and 9:13. Listen to and learn each pasuk separately. |
| Th, May 18
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare Chamishi 9:14 and 9:15 up to vein. |
Learn Chamishi 9:14 and 9:15
You have two weeks to do this – next week is Shavuot. |
| Th, May 25 | NO LESSON – SHAVUOT | Keep learning 9:14-15 |
| Th, Jun 1
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi to date
Prepare Chamishi most-of-9:16 |
Smooth out 9:14-15. No lesson next week, but do homework below, next week |
| Th, Jun 8 | NO LESSON – CJG VACA, but do homework at right =====> | Learn Chamishi 9:16 |
| Th, Jun 15
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi up to and including 9:16
Prepare Chamishi 9:17 |
Learn Chamishi 9:17 (end!)
Smooth out 9:15-16 |
| Th, Jun 22 | NO LESSON – SACHs in GREECE | Keep practicing your chamishi aliya, make it so smooth that you can read it from the LEFTHAND side of the page! |
| Th, Jun 29
4:40-5pm |
Review Chamishi
Prepare Haftara Trope first half |
Fix / Re-Learn 9:15-17 so you’re singing the correct musical notes. USE THE AUDIO FILE!! |
| Tu, July 18
4-4:20pm |
Review Chamishi for correct trope. Start with 9:15, the trouble spot from the past couple of weeks. | Smooth out Chamishi aliya from v15. Make sure the trope in your last pasuk (17) are correct — they aren’t the same trope as at the beginning (similar words)
Learn Haftara 54:11 using the table below |
| Th, Aug 3
4:20-4:40pm |
Review Chamishi
Review Haftara 54:11 Prepare Haftara 54:12-13 |
Learn Haftara 54:12-13
Of course, smooth out Haftara to date, as always. TIME TO START COMING TO SYNAGOGUE ON SATURDAY MORNINGS. ACCESS TO THE MOST HONOURS DEPENDS ON IT ON YOUR BIG DAY. You can’t expect to do well in a 500 meter race unless you show up to the track and practice regularly! |
| Tu, Aug 15
5:10-5:30pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 54:14-15 NO LESSON – FAMILY STILL SICK |
Learn Haftara 54:14-15 using the usual homework technique. Practice often, to make up for not having had the benefit of a lesson in-person this week. |
| Th, Aug 24
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 54:13-14 Review Chamishi Aliya |
This week, Learn Haftara 54:13-14.
No lesson next week, but please start next week’s homework on Sep. 1, as if we had a lesson then. |
| Th, Sep 1 | NO LESSON – CJG VACATION, BUT PLEASE DO THE HOMEWORK AT RIGHT ====> | Learn Haftara 54:15-16
Keep reviewing chamishi. Keep it fresh! |
| Th, Sep 8
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 54:13-14. |
Learn Haftara 54:13-14. |
| Tu, Sep 12
4:50-5:10pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 54:15-16 |
Learn Haftara 54:15-16 and 54:17 up to tarshi-i, just to keep things moving to be able to finish on time. Going to be a push to the finish line — you can do it!! |
| NEW DAY/TIME
We, Sep 20 4:20-4:40pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara rest-of-54:17 and 55:1-2 |
Learn Haftara rest-of-54:17 and 55:1-2 (a good challenge!) |
| We, Sep 27
4:20-4:40pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Rest of Haftara! |
NO LESSON TODAY, CJG UNDER THE WEATHER |
| We, Oct 4
4:20-4:40pm |
Review Haftara to date | 1. Learn Haftara 55:4-5 (new this week)
2. Fine tune / smooth out 55:1-3 (partic. Shim-u shamo-ah notes, and ha-ne-emanim) |
| We, Oct 11
4:20-4:40pm |
Review Haftara from 54:17
If the last part of the haftara is in good shape, prepare Blessing #1 after haftara. You will mostly likely only do that first blessing and then Cantor Green will take over for the other 3, because of time, not lack of talent or anything like that! |
Smooth out last pasuk of haftara (v5)
D’var Torah?? |
| TH, OCT 19
7:15am MORNING SERVICE, 1st ALIYOT, RUNTHROUGH ON BIMAH |
Review everything on Bimah! | |
| _____________ | ____________________ |
Torah/Haftara Trope Sheet (PDF | Torah Trope | Haftara Trope)
Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After)
Noach Aliya Chamishit: 9:8-17 · 10 p’sukim · Benny Sachs (PDF | MP3) – (Note, Lily is doing maftir)
| 8 – 0:00 | 9 – 0:23 | 10 – 0:38 | 11 – 1:07 | 12 – 1:32 |
| 13 – 2:01 | 14 – 2:18 | 15 – 2:34 | 16 – 3:03 | 17 – 3:32 |
Blessing before Haftara (PDF)
Haftara NOACH (Isaiah, Ashkenazi – Lily v1-10, Benny the rest (PDF | MP3) all in Chapter 54.
| 54:1 – 0:00 | 2 – 0:21 | 3 – 0:45 | 4 – 1:02 | 5 – 1:26 | 6 – 1:47 | 7 – 2:11 | 8 – 2:23 |
| 9 -2:45 | 10 – 3:13 | 11 – 3:42 | 12 – 4:01 | 13 – 4:17 | 14 – 4:30 | 15 – 4:49 | 16 – 5:04 |
| 17 – 5:31 | 55:1 – 6:07 | 2 -6:39 | 3 – 7:02 | 4 – 7:25 | 5 -7:39 |
Blessings after Haftara (PDF | Audio: Blessing 1 | 2 | 3 | 4) – ADAM??
Ashrei (AZ tune) with Lily and CJG
Aleinu / Adon Olam
Blessings before and after Torah reading – DONE
Chamishi aliya – DONE
Blessing before Haftara (Lily only)
Haftara – DONE
Blessings after Haftara (ADAM or CJG??)
D’var Torah (with Rav Baruch) – ???
Ashrei (AZ tune) – DONE
Aleinu / Adon Olam – DONE
Margarita would like to do something
Margarita’s Mother – maybe prayer for Israel in Hebrew
Cousin – Blake Teichman to read Torah, as well as Adam, David, Joel
| Lily to start Haftara w blessing, 54:1-10 (the Sefardi reading) |
| Benny to finish Haftara w blessings afterward, 54:11-55:5 |