Hannah, use this page 3-4 times each week to prepare for your Bat 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 |
| Th, Sep 5, 2024
6:30-7:15pm 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. |
| We, May 14, 2025
4:40-5pm |
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)
You have two weeks to do this as Cantor Green will be away all of next week. |
| We, May 21 | NO LESSON – CANTOR AWAY AT CA CONFERENCE | Keep learning your Torah blessings! |
| We, May 28
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah Blessings
Prepare Torah Trope Sheet |
Smooth out the blessing after Torah reading
Learn Torah Trope (like a song, but during your last homework sitting of the week, focus on the symbols, not the words (which are the names of the trope). The audio file is in the downloads section below this table. Make sure you use the TORAH trope file, not the Haftara file. |
| We, Jun 4
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah blessings
Review Torah Trope 1st half Prepare Torah Trope 2nd half |
1. Learn Torah Trope 2nd half, first!
2. Smooth out Torah Trope 1st half, second! Concentrate more on the symbols themselves than on the words on the page — that will help you recognize the notes we’ll be singing when you see those symbols on your actual Torah reading. |
| We, June 11
4:40-5pm |
Review Torah Trope
Prepare Maftir 4:17-18 |
Learn Maftir 4:17-18 |
| We, Jun 18
4:40-5:00pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare Maftir 4:19 up to kodesh hakodashim |
1. Learn Maftir 4:19 up to kodesh hakodashim
2. THEN go back and polish up 4:17-18 from last week. |
| We, Jun 25
4:40-5:00pm |
Review Maftir to date
Prepare maftir, rest-of-4:19 THIS IS LAST LESSON BEFORE CAMP. |
If you have time, learn Maftir rest-of-4:19.
Take your materials with you, and MAINTAIN what you’ve learned so far, once a week! |
| SUMMER BREAK | CAMP | |
| We, July 30
4:40-5pm |
Review maftir to date with blessings
Prepare Maftir 4:20 (end) Prepare Haftara Trope |
Smooth out second half of 4:19 (partic. v’samu otam) and 4:20 (the newest part), partic. the sof-aliya trope of k’vala et hakodesh.
Learn Haftara trope like a song, and concentrate on the symbols themselves rather than the printed names of the Trope. You have three weeks to do this! |
| NO LESSONS NEXT TWO WEEKS – CJG UNAVAILABLE | Keep learning as above! | |
| **Fr, Aug 15
9:45-10:20am |
Review Maftir
Review Haftara Trope 1st half Prepare Haftara Trope 2nd half Prepare Blessing blessing before the haftara. |
Learn Haftara trope 2nd half
If you can, I strongly encourage you to learn the Blessing before the Haftara (resources below, in the downloads section. |
| We, Aug 20
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara Trope (entire)
Review (if possible) Blessing before Haftara Prepare Haftara 20:18-19 |
Finish learning Blessing before Haftara
Try to learn Haftara 20:18-19 |
| We, Aug 27
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara Trope (entire)
Review Blessing before haftara first half Prepare Blessing before Haftara 2nd half |
Finish learning blessing before Haftara |
| We, Sep 3
4:40-5pm |
Review Blessing before Haftara
Prepare Haftara 20:18-19 |
Smooth out blessing before haftara
Learn Haftara 20:18-19 |
| We, Sep 10
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date with Blessing before
Prepare Haftara 20:20 and 20:21 up to laNa-ar. |
1. Learn Haftara 20:20 and 20:21 up to laNa-ar.
2. go back and smooth out 20:18-19 3. Make the whole thing smooth |
| We, Sept 17
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare rest of 20:21 |
Learn Haftara rest-of-20:21 |
| We, Sept 24 | NO LESSON (Rosh Hashanah), but that week, please do the homework at right ==> | Learn Haftara 20:22-23 |
| FIND ANOTHER LESSON TIME – YOM KIPPUR! | ||
| Th, Oct 16
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date with blessing before haftara
Prepare Haftara 20:24 and 20:25 up to hakir Review Maftir from STA”M side |
1. Learn Haftara 20:24 and 20:25 up to hakir
2. Go back and smooth out haftara 20:22-23 |
| We, Oct 22
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara rest-of-20:25 and 20:26 |
1. Go back and smooth out Haftara 20:22-24. They need some more work.
2. Learn Haftara 20:25 up to b’fa-am. |
| We, Oct 29
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date with blessing before
Prepare Haftara haftara 20:25 |
Learn Haftara 20:25
Then go back and do some more reps of singing with the audio file for 20:22-24 |
| We, Nov 5
4:40-5pm |
Review haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 20:26-27 |
Learn Haftara 20:26-27. You have two weeks to do this because there’s no lesson next week. |
| We, Nov. 12 | NO LESSON – CJG AWAY AT RABBINICAL SCHOOL RETREAT | Keep learning the above homework.
Also, smooth out 20:25 |
| We, Nov 19
4:40-5:00pm |
Review haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 20:28 and 20:29 up to ba-ir |
Smooth out Haftara 20:27
Learn Haftara 20:28 up to david |
| We, Nov 26
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara rest-of-20:28 and 20:29 up to b’einecha. |
Polish up Haftara 20:27 and 20:28, and finish learning verse 20:28. |
| We, Dec 3
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Review Maftir Aliya |
Smooth out Haftara 20:25-28 |
| We, Dec 10
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 20:29 up to b’einecha. |
Learn Haftara 20:29 up to b’einecha. |
| We, Dec 17
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara rest of 20:29 and 20:30-32 |
Learn Haftara rest-of-20:29 and 20:30-32
You have almost a month to do this, so you can spread it out! |
| Dec 19-29 | WINTER BREAK ==> | Keep working on the above homework. You can decide on doing more or less, depending on your time. |
| Tu, Dec 30
3:30-3:50pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 20:30 |
Learn Haftara 20:30
Go back and smooth out 20:29 You have two weeks to do that. |
| We, Jan 7 | NO LESSON (CJG at conference) | Keep working on the above. You can go further if you want! |
| We, Jan 14
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date (20:32!)
Prepare Haftara 20:33-34 |
Finish learning Haftara 20:33
Learn Haftara 20:34 |
| We, Jan 21
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara from 20:31
Prepare Haftara 20:35-36 Review Maftir Unit (incl blessings) |
Learn Haftara 20:36
Smooth out Haftara 20:33-35, focusing on the transliteration corrections we made. |
| We, Jan 28
4:40-5:00pm |
Review Haftara from 20:31
Work on Haftara 20:32-36 Prepare Haftara 20:37 |
1. Learn Haftara 20:37
2. Smooth out Haftara 20:34-36 |
| We, Feb 4
4:40-5:00pm ZOOM (CJG ill) |
Review Whole Haftara with blessing
Prepare Haftara 20:38 |
Learn Haftara 20:38
Smooth out 20:21 (there are lots of different “hacheitzi” expressions with different tropes – sort those out using the audio file) Practice going from 20:27 into 20:28 – the first two words have the tropes “Mercha-tip’cha” – use the audio file to get confident with those notes. |
| We, Feb 11
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara from 20:31
Work on Haftara 20:38 and 20:39 up to m’umah |
Finish learning haftara 20:38
Learn Haftara 20:39 up m’umah |
| We, Feb 18
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara from 20:31
Prepare Haftara rest-of-20:39 and 20:40 |
Learn Haftara rest-of-20:39 and 20:40
Smooth out the highlighted words Reminder: Keep reviewing your haftara and your maftir, with all the blessings, at least once per week. |
| We, Feb 25
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara from 20:31
Re-Prepare Haftara rest-of-20:39 and 20:40 |
Learn Haftara rest-of-20:39 and 20:40 |
| We, Mar 4
4:40-5pm |
Review Haftara to date
Prepare Haftara 20:41. You’ll have two weeks to do this. |
Learn Haftara 20:41 |
| We, Mar 11 | NO LESSON – CJG at a conference. DO HOMEWORK AT RIGHT ==> | Learn Haftara 20:42, as much of it as you can before we next meet. |
| We, Mar 18 ???? | Is this March break? | |
| _____________ | ____________________ |
Torah / Haftarah Trope (PDF | Torah Trope MP3 | Haftara Trope MP3)
Blessings Before and After Torah Reading (PDF | MP3 – Before | MP3 – After)
Bamidbar Maftir Aliya (PDF | MP3), all in Num. Ch4
| 17 – 0:00 | 18 – 0:14 | 19 – 0:30 | 20 – 1:08 |
Blessing before Haftara (PDF | MP3)
Haftara Shabbat Machar Chodesh (Erev Rosh Chodesh) – All in 1 Samuel, Chapter 20 (PDF | MP3)
| 18 – 0:00 | 19 – 0:17 | 20 – 0:44 | 21 – 0:59 | 22 – 1:44 | 23 – 2:05 | 24 – 2:27 |
| 25 – 2:48 | 26 – 3:25 | 27 – 3:51 | 28 – 4:29 | 29 – 4:48 | 30 – 5:36 | 31 – 6:10 |
| 32 – 6:43 | 33 – 7:02 | 34 – 7:30 | 35 – 7:58 | 36 – 8:17 | 37 – 8:45 | 38 – 9:13 |
| 39 – 9:40 | 40 – 9:56 | 41 – 10:16 | 42 – 10:59 |
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
Torah Trope – DONE
Maftir aliya – DONE (including STA”M side)
Haftara Trope – DONE
Blessing before Haftara – DONE
Haftara – IN PROGRESS
Blessings after Haftara –
Torah Processional –
Torah Recessional –
D’var Torah –
Other items as time allows: Other Torah aliyot; Musaf; Hallel