JULIAN, 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, May 21, 2024
6:45-7:30pm Cantor’s Office |
Intro to B’nei Mitzvah Process
Date Selection 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. |
| Th, Jun 19
5:20-5:40pm |
Write name, phone number, and email address on BM folder (provided)
Prepare Blessing Before and After Torah reading |
Learn Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After) |
| Th, Jun 26
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Torah Blessings
Prepare Torah Trope 1st half |
Learn Torah Trope 1st half (up to the line). Concentrate on the symbols, less-so than the words. |
| SUMMER BREAK | NO LESSONS – JULIAN IN FRANCE ==> | Take your materials with you please and review them at least once every two weeks. If you can, use the audio file for the Torah Trope to learn the second half of the “song”, again focusing on the symbols rather than the printed words (the names of the trope). |
| Th, Aug. 7 & 14 | NO LESSONS – JASON AWAY (VACATION & RABBINICAL SCHOOL COURSE). PLEASE USE THESE WEEKS TO DO THE HOMEWORK AT RIGHT ===> | First of all, welcome home!
Learn the Torah trope page, 2nd half (and make it smooth from the beginning of the first half) Learn Maftir 25:7 and 25:8, using the maftir resources in the downloads section below. YOU HAVE THREE WEEKS TO DO THESE before we next meet, on Aug. 21. Feel free to spread out the learning over those weeks. Good luck! |
| Th, Aug 21
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Torah Blessings
Review Torah Trope sheet (all) Review Maftir to date Prepare Maftir 25:9 (it’ll be a light week!) |
Learn Torah Trope (entire page) like a song, but concentrating on the trope SYMBOLS, rather than the printed words, because it’s the SYMBOLS that will appear in your actual Torah reading.
Review / smooth out the blessings before and after the Torah reading (Bar’chu, etc.) |
| Th, Sep 4
5:20-5:30pm |
Review Torah Trope
|
Material from last week is mostly learned, and needs more confidence.
Finish learning Torah Trope Touch up Blessings before and after Torah reading |
| Th, Sep 11
5:20-5:40pm |
NO LESSON TODAY – JULIAN NOT ABLE TO GET HERE. PLEASE DO THE HOMEWORK AT RIGHT ANYWAY ===>
|
Learn Maftir 25:7 using the PDF (or if I gave you a printout, use that) and the MP3 below… or just use these links: |
| NEW!
Tues, Sept 16 5:20-5:40pm |
Review Torah blessings
Review Torah Trope Review Maftir to date Prepare Maftir 25:7 and 25:8 up to el hakubah |
Learn Maftir 25:7 and 25:8 up to el hakubah
Keep practicing Torah blessings for smoothness |
| Tu, Sep 30
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Torah Blessings
Review Maftir to date
Re-Prepare Maftir 25:7 and 25:8 up to el hakubah |
“Really” Learn Maftir 25:7 and 25:8 up to el hakubah. |
| Th, Oct 9
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Torah Blessings
Review Maftir to date Prepare Maftir, rest of 25:8 |
Learn Maftir, rest of 25:8.
As you practice your maftir this week, make sure you are pointing with your finger to the words as you go. This will be important for reading directly from the Torah scroll. AND, if you can, listen a bunch of times to 25:9 and it will be really easy to learn next lesson! |
| Tu, Oct 21
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare Maftir 25:9 Work on STA”M side Review Torah blessings |
Last week’s homework wasn’t completed. Please finish learning the rest of maftir 25:8 (from vayidkor), and…
Learn maftir 25:9 (the last verse!) |
| Tu, Oct 28
5:20-5:40pm |
Review maftir (entire)
Prepare Haftara trope sheet |
Learn Maftir 25:9 (a re-take from last week)
Please make sure you pack your Bar Mitzvah binder in a backpack you bring to OTT. The materials are essential to have in front of you. Also, please make sure you study 3 times each week, 15-20 minutes each, spread out over the week. That’s the best way to learn so that it sticks. If there’s just too much material each week to be successful, please let me know. I think if you can make the homework technique happen, it won’t be too much material. |
| Tu, Nov 4
5:20-5:40pm |
Review maftir (all of it)
Prepare Haftara Trope sheet |
Learn Haftara trope sheet. You have two weeks to do this because there is no lesson next week. I suggest learn section 1 this week, and section 2 next week. |
| Tu, Nov 11 | NO LESSON – CJG away at Rabbinical School this week | Keep studying, reviewing everything learned to date |
| Th, Nov 13
4:40-5:00pm ZOOM |
Review Maftir (from STA”M side) with Torah blessings
|
Learn entire Haftara Trope Sheet (really get it done so we can move on!)
Re-listen to (and then sing along with), 10 times each, the beginning of the Bar’chu (Blessing before the Torah reading), so that you can start it yourself. Reminder: Come to Shabbat services regularly! The congregation doesn’t see you there enough, and they want to get to know you before you suddenly appear on the bimah at your bar mitzvah! It’s important and a core requirement. |
| Tu, Nov 18
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Haftara trope sheet
Prepare Blessing before Haftara |
Learn Blessing before Haftara |
| Tu, Nov 25
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Blessing before the Haftara
Prepare Haftara 5:6 up to alei-eisev |
Finish learning Blessing before Haftara
Learn Haftara 5:6 up to alei-eisev |
| Tu, Dec 2
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Haftara to date with Blessing before
Work again on (and do all of) Haftara 5:6 |
Learn Haftara 5:6 (the whole verse)
Smooth out the blessing before the Haftara Try to remember not to look up at Cantor Green every word or two for validation — you can do this! If you’re confident and practiced enough, you won’t need my validation (until you’re done the section!). |
| Tu, Dec. 9
5:20-5:40pm |
Review Haftara to date with blessing before the haftara
Prepare Haftara 5:7 up to amim rabim |
Finish learning haftara 5:6
Learn Haftara 5:7 up to amim rabim |
| Tu, Dec. 16
5:20-5:40pm |
Review haftara to date
Prepare haftara rest-of-5:7 and 5:8 |
|
| _____________ | ____________________ |
Torah / Haftarah Trope (PDF | Torah Trope MP3 | Haftara Trope MP3)
Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After)
Maftir Chukkat-Balak (Num. 25:7-9) (PDF | MP3)
| 7 – 0:00 | 8 – 0:22 | 9 – 0:57 |
Blessing before Haftara (PDF | MP3)
Haftara Balak (Micah 5:6-6:8) (PDF | MP3)
| 5:6 – 0:00 | 7 – 0:37 | 8 – 1:15 | 9 – 1:27 | 10 – 1:47 | 11 – 2:00 |
| 12 – 2:14 | 13 – 2:34 | 14 – 2:47 | 6:1 – 3:06 | 2 – 3:27 | 3 – 3:50 |
| 4 – 4:05 | 5 – 4:30 | 6 – 5:03 | 7 – 5:25 | 8 – 5:51 |
Blessings after Haftara, KBI-style (PDF | MP3)
| #1, 1st half – 0:00 | #1, 2nd half – 0:31 | #2 – 1:11 | #3 – 1:38 | #4, 1st half – 2:37 | #4, 2nd half – 3:06 |
Shabbat Morning Torah Service (PDFs | MP3s)
Blessings before and after Torah reading – DONE
Maftir aliya – DONE (incl. STA”M)
Blessing before Haftara –
Haftara –
Blessings after Haftara –
Torah Processional –
Torah Recessional –
D’var Torah (with Rabbi Polansky) –
Other items as time allows: Other Torah aliyot; Musaf; Hallel