Olivier, 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, you can reach out to your tutor, Jenny Burns, at morahjennyburns@gmail.com, or e-mail Cantor Green 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).
When virtual, you’ll meet using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89893255896?pwd=r7wxEixMcdOzp1FnMealacLjziK5vs.1
| DATE/TIME | GOALS | HOMEWORK ASSIGNED |
| Date Wednesday, June 10, 2026Time 4:15pm | Intro to B’nei Mitzvah ProcessDate SelectionIntro to WebpageGoal SettingLesson 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.
Learn Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After) Get comfy reading your Maftir. Stretch Goal –> read parashat Mishpatim in English. Don’t feel you HAVE to use Safaria.org. It just happens to be useful. Pay attention to your emotional and intellectual reactions to certain passages. They won’t always align. |
| Wednesday, June 17, 2026Time 4:15 pm | Prepare Blessing Before and After Torah reading | Successes: Torah Blessing sounds great! Flying through reading the maftirNew Work: follow Cantor Green’s recording with your maftir, paying attention to sof pasuk clauses. They should start to feel like musical puzzle pieces clicking into place. Next, chant along with Cantor Green where you can. Next, can you chant those sof pasuk clauses independently? |
| Thursday, June 25, 2026Time 10:00a | Review Torah BlessingsReview Sof Pasuk clauses in maftirLearn Etnachta clauses | Successes: Sof Pasuk Trope family is locked in! Picked up the Etnachta family beautifully.New Work: Warm up using the Torah Trope (PDF | Torah Trope MP3), paying attention to Sof Pasuk and Etnachta clauses.Next, using the pdf or a chuamsh, follow along Cantor Green’s recording of your maftir, paying attention to etnachta and sof pasuk clauses. Next, chant along with Cantor Green where you can. Next, read your maftir, chanting etnachta and sof pasuk clauses independently! |
| Thursday, July 2, 2026Time: 11 am | Review Torah BlessingsReview Etnachta and Sof Pasuk clauses melodiesLearn Katon Trope family.Use Etnachta, Katon, and Sof Pasuk clauses in maftir! | Successes: Torah Blessings are locked in. Etnachta trope is getting stronger.New Work: Warm up using the Torah Trope (PDF | Torah Trope MP3), paying attention to KATON, Sof Pasuk and Etnachta clauses (the big 3 kahunas of the chanting world).Next, using the pdf or a chuamsh, follow along Cantor Green’s recording of your maftir, paying attention to (use guessed it!) katon, etnachta and sof pasuk clauses. Next, chant along with Cantor Green where you can. Next, read your maftir, chanting katon, etnachta and sof pasuk clauses independently! |
| Wednesday, July 8, 2026Time: 4:15pm | Review Katon, Etnachta and Sof Pasuk clauses melodiesLearn T’vir Trope family.Use T’vir, Etnachta, Katon, and Sof Pasuk clauses in maftir! | Successes: So much confidence and growth in Etnachta, and growth in the Katon melodies. Learned T’vir Trope family with ease!New Work: Warm up using the Torah Trope (PDF | Torah Trope MP3), paying attention to T’vir, Katon, Sof Pasuk and Etnachta clauses.Next, using the pdf or a chuamsh, follow along Cantor Green’s recording of your maftir, paying attention to (use guessed it!) t’vir, katon, etnachta and sof pasuk clauses. Next, chant along with Cantor Green where you can. Next, read your maftir, chanting katon, etnachta and sof pasuk clauses independently! There is literally only 1 word in the aliyah you don’t know the trope for now. |
| Thursday, July 16, 2026 4:15pm |
Review week with focus on everything we’ve done so far. | Same as last week |
| Thursday, July 23, 2026
8:20pm |
Review T’vir, Katon, Etnachta and Sof Pasuk clauses melodies Learn Kadma, V’azla, Kadma Geresh and GershayimChant entire maftir!
(stretch: start looking at second aliyah with the trope) |
Successes: Can officially chant 3rd Aliyah! Starting to chant seocnd aliyah. New Work: Second Aliyah
Next, using the PDF or a chumash, follow along with Cantor Green’s recording of your maftir, paying attention to the trope we’ve learned. Next, chant along with Cantor Green where you can. Next, read your second aliyah and maftir, chanting trope you’re able to independently! Read the words with trope symbols you don’t know yet. |
| Wednesday, August 19th, 2026. 4:15pm | Review T’vir, Katon, Etnachta and Sof Pasuk Kadma, V’azla, Kadma Geresh and Gershayim clauses melodies. Learn Ri’vii. Practice the entire maftir. Begin chanting the second aliyah |
Successes: 3rd Aliyah chanting is sounding more confident! Started to chant second Alyiah
New Work: Riv’ii and Second Aliyah |
| Wednesday, September 2, 2026
4:15pm |
Chanting 2nd and 3rd Aliyah |
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| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 4:15pm |
Review trope so far, adding Zarka, Segol, and Zakef Gadol into the mix. Chanting all three Aliyot |
Successes: Can get through Aliyah 2 and 3, and is beginning on Aliyah 1. Only tropes left to learn are the Tlishas and the Zarka Segol New Work: Continue working through Aliyah 1 |
| Friday, September 25, 2026 4:15pm – 4:45pm |
Grow your fluency with all three aliyot |
Continue to chant all three aliyot. Our biggest struggle at the moment is confidence, familiarity, and phrasing, so print out your aliyot and colour code them to help structure that lovely phrasing. green – katon yellow – ebatonta red – sof pasuk blue – rivi’i / kadma v’azla /geresh / gershayim Also, remember that you have Cantor Green’s recordings to support you too! |
| Friday, September 30, 2026 4:15pm – 4:45pm |
Do a hyper-focused week on aliyah one. Next week, we’ll test the tikkun side a smidge. |
Success: You can get through all three aliyot with some pretty great confidence and self-correction skills. You’ve really internalized the trope melodies! New Work: PRINT YOUR ALIYOT! Hyper focus on your fluency with Aliyah 1 |
| Wednesday, October 7, 2026 4:15pm – 4:45pm |
Start looking at the Havdallah folder |
Success: Those aliyot are really coming together! Congrats on chanting some of your maftir on the tikkun side! Homework: Keep practicing those aliyot and going back to the trope melodies. New work: Havadallah folder |
| Wednesday, October 14, 2026 4:15pm – 4:45pm |
Practice Heading the Havdallah text Listen to the Havdallah blessings |
Success: Aliyot phrasing is getting clearner and cleaner. We’re starting to shift some sentences form the maftir to the tikkun side! Homework: Keep practicing those aliyot and going back to the trope melodies. Read the Havdallah text. New work: Havadallah materials! |
| _____________ | ____________________ |
Torah Trope (PDF | Torah Trope MP3)
Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After)
Weekday Mishpatim Aliya 1 – All in Ex. Ch. 21 (PDF | MP3)
| 1 – 0:00 | 2 – 0:11 | 3 – 0:30 | 4 – 0:49 | 5 – 1:17 | 6 – 1:35 |
Weekday Mishpatim Aliya 2 – All in Ex. Ch. 21 (PDF | MP3)
| 7 – 0:00 | 8 – 0:19 | 9 – 0:45 | 10 – 0:57 | 11 – 1:13 |
Weekday Mishpatim Aliya 3 – All in Ex. Ch. 21 (PDF | MP3)
| 12 – 0:00 | 13 – 0:16 | 14 – 0:36 | 15 – 0:56 | 16 – 1:06 | 17 – 1:21 | 18 – 1:33 | 19 – 1:54 |
Havdallah (Folder)
Shabbat Mincha Torah Service (Folder)
Shabbat Mincha From Ashrei (Folder)
Shabbat Mincha Amida (Folder) *CJG does Mizmor Shir L’Yom HaShabbat
Blessings before and after Torah reading – ✅
Torah Trope – ✅
Aliya 3 – ✅ (second checkmark once you’re fully on the tikkun side)
Aliya 2 – ✅
Aliya 1 –
Havdallah (Eliyahu HaNavi, Debbie Friedman Havdallah) –
Shabbat Mincha Torah Processional –
Shabbat Mincha Torah Recessional –
D’var Torah (with Rabbi Rose) –
If time allows: Other parts of Shabbat mincha
Jenny Burns is tutor.