LEVI, 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 Cantor Green know if there’s a problem right away.
VERY IMPORTANT – MUST READ: KBI B’nei Mitzvah Handbook ONLINE
Click here to confirm you’ve read and understood the entire handbook (required).
| DATE/TIME | GOALS | HOMEWORK ASSIGNED |
| Tu, Feb 20
6:45-7:30pm Cantor Green’s office |
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 (or assigned part thereof) at least 15 times in a row. 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. |
| Tu, Mar 5
4:30-4:50pm |
Write name and URL on BM folder (provided)
Prepare Blessing Before and After Torah reading |
Learn Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After)
You have two weeks to learn this because there is no lesson next week (March Break). Suggest learning “Blessing before” this week, and “Blessing after” next week. |
| Tu, Mar 12 | NO LESSON – MARCH BREAK, CANTOR AWAY | Keep doing homework from last week (2 blessings) |
| Tu, Mar 19
4:30-4:50pm |
Review 2 Torah Blessings
Prepare Torah Trope, first half |
Learn Torah Trope, first half, up to first sof pasuk
The materials for this are in the dowloads section, below. |
| Tu, Mar 26
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Torah blessings
Review Torah Trope 1st half Prepare Torah Trope 2nd half |
Learn Torah Trope 2nd half
Make sure you can sing the whole page by the end of your homework week. Keep reviewing Torah blessings |
| Tu, Apr 2
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Torah Trope
Review Torah blessings Prepare Aliya 3, 23:13 |
Smooth out blessings before and after Torah reading
Learn Aliya 3, 23:13 using the homework technique above. Note that if you do this well, each week, the shape of the words should start coalescing in your mind’s eye around the sound of the word in the recording (or that you’re singing) so that ‘reading the Hebrew’ is less important. Basically you’re memorizing but the shape of the words becomes a “hint”. |
| Tu, Apr 9
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Torah blessings
Review Aliya 3, 23:13 Prepare Aliya 3, 23:14-15 |
Learn Aliya 3, 23:14-15 |
| Tu, Apr 16
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 3 to date
Prepare Aliya 3, 23:16 for during Passover |
Finish learning aliya 3, 23:15
Smooth out all of aliya 3 |
| Tu, Apr 23 & 30 | NO LESSONS – PASSOVER
But please do homework at right over this period before our next lesson: |
Learn Aliya 3, 23:16 over the next 2 weeks
Be prepared to demonstrate all of Aliya 3 next lesson! |
| Tu, May 7
4:30-4:50pm |
Review all of aliya 3
Prepare Aliya 2, 23:8 |
Keep smoothing out aliya 3
Print out aliya 2 IN COLOUR (Sorry my printer decided not to work) Learn Aliya 2, 23:8 |
| Tu, May 14
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NO LESSON – CJG UNAVAILABLE
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| Tu, May 21
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 3 (whole thing)
Review Aliya 2, 23:8 Prepare Aliya 2, 23:9 |
Keep smoothing out aliya 3
Aliya 2 – smooth out 23:8 Aliya 2 – learn 23:9 up to sadeihu (being careful not to say ‘chu‘) |
| Tu, May 28
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 2 to date
Prepare Aliya 2, rest-of-23:9 and 23:10 up to second v’nei cheit |
Learn Aliya 2, rest-of-23:9 and 23:10 up to second v’nei cheit. Note the first one is B’nei, the second is V’nei!
Keep reviewing aliya 3 to make sure it stays fresh! |
| Tu, June 4
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 2 to date
Prepare Aliya 2, rest-of-23:10 and 23:11 up to natati lach for this coming week AND Prepare Aliya 2, rest-of-23:11 for the next week. No lesson next week as it’s the evening of Shavuot. |
Learn Aliya 2, rest-of-23:10 and 23:11 up to natati lach for this coming week AND Learn Aliya 2, rest-of-23:11 for the next week.
(No lesson next week as it’s the evening of Shavuot.) |
| Tu, June 11 | NO LESSON – EREV SHAVUOT
but please continue homework 2 parts as above. |
|
| Tu, June 18
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 2 up to the end of 23:11
Prepare Aliya 2, 23:12 and review the whole aliya |
Learn Aliya 2, rest-of-23:11 and 23:12. Make sure to pronounce “Va-yish-TA-chu” (not “vayi-shta-chu”) |
| Tu, June 25
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 2 to date
Re-prepare Aliya 2, 23:11-12 Review aliya 3 |
Finish learning Aliya 2, 23:11-12. Be prepared to chant all of aliya 2 next lesson
Refresh yourself on Aliya 3. Listen to the audio file a few more times. Also, remember: 4. every week, you MUST review at least once, everything learned to date, and FIX any glitches. |
| Tu, July 2
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 2
Review Aliya 3 Prepare Aliya 1, 23:1, 2 and 3 for learning over the next 3 weeks until CJG is back from vacation |
Week 1 (from July 2): Learn Aliya 1, 23:1
Week 2 (from July 9): Learn Aliya 1, 23:2 Week 3 (from July 16): Learn Aliya 1, 23:3 |
| Tu, Jul 23
10:40-11am |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Work on verses 23:1-2. We’re not ready for verse 23:3 yet.
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Smooth out aliya 1, verses 23:1-2
Review Aliya 2 and 3 to de-rustify them. Listen to each one separately 7-10 times, then sing along 5 times, then you should be able to sing it smoothly on your own. Do this for both aliyot. You can, if needed, write in for yourself a clue as to the next word if that will help you develop muscle memory (ie., have the words roll of your tongue!). |
| Tu, Jul 30 | NO LESSON – LEVI AT COTTAGE | |
| Tu, Aug 6
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Prepare Aliya 1, 23:3 Review Aliyot 2 and 3 again for smoothness. |
Smooth out/get more confident with Aliya 1, 23:1-2
Learn Aliya 1, 23:3 Smooth out Aliya 2 (particularly the second half) – do a lot of listening and singing along — that will help solidify the flow of the words in your mind. Then sing without the audio file. |
| Tu, Aug 13
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Prepare Aliya 1, 23:4 Review Aliya 2 If Aliya 2 is in good shape, review Aliya 3 |
Sing through Aliya 2, 10 times, using the aide-memoires we created in the lesson. The goal is to get smooth, almost “automatic”, with the next word/tune rolling off your tongue. The key is repetition of the correct material. Get to trust yourself! |
| **Th, Aug. 22
**12-12:20pm |
Review Aliya 2
Prepare aide-memoires for Aliya 3 |
Smooth out aliya 3 using the transliterations we wrote in, many times until it is smooth and confident.
Remember: 4. every week, you MUST review at least once, everything learned to date, and FIX any glitches. |
| Tu, Aug 27
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 3 for smoothness
Review Aliyot in 1 and 2 Review Aliya 1, 23:1-2, Learn Aliya 1, 23:3 |
Smooth out / Learn Aliya 1 up to the end of 23:3 (three verses) – make them very strong and confident. |
| Tu, Sep 3
4:20-4:40pm |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Prepare Aliya 1, 23:4-5 |
Learn (or finish learning!) Aliya 1, 23:4-5
Smooth out Aliya 2, and practice it from the left-hand (TORAH) side |
| Tu, Sep 10
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Prepare Aliya 1, 23:6 up to et kiv-ro |
In 23:4, practice 10 times going from achuzat-kever imachem into v’ek-b’ra… so that it rolls of your tongue.
Learn Aliya 1, 23:6 up to et kiv-ro. |
| Tu, Sep 17
4:30-4:50pm |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Prepare same material as last week. It was a busy week at school! |
Learn Aliya 1, 23:6 up to et kiv-ro. |
| **We, Sep 25
4:40-5:00pm |
Review Aliya 1 to date
Prepare rest of Aliya 1, 23:6 |
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| _____________ | ____________________ |
Torah Trope Sheet (PDF | Torah Trope MP3)
Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After)
Chayei Sarah Weekday Aliya 3 – All in Gen. 23 (PDF | MP3)
| 13 – 0:00 | 14 – 0:30 | 15 – 0:41 | 16 – 1:04 |
Chayei Sarah Weekday Aliya 2 – All in Gen. 23 (PDF | MP3)
| 8 – 0:00 | 9 – 0:24 | 10 – 0:52 | 11 – 1:18 | 12 – 1:47 |
Chayei Sarah Weekday Aliya 1 – All in Gen. 23 (PDF | MP3)
| 1 – 0:00 | 2 – 0:19 | 3 – 0:43 | 4 – 0:59 | 5 – 1:19 | 6 – 1:32 | 7 – 2:07 |
Torah Service (PDF)
Blessings before and after Torah reading – DONE
Torah Trope – IN PROGRESS
Weekday Chayei Sarah aliya 3 – DONE
Weekday Chayei Sarah aliya 2 – DONE
Weekday Chayei Sarah aliya 1 – IN PROGRESS
Torah Processional (choose little bits) –
Torah Recessional (choose little bits) –
D’var Torah & Mitzvah Project (with Rabbi Polansky) – IN PROGRESS