The Adult Bnai Mitzvah (ABM) class at CBS is directed to Jewish adults who never participated in a service as a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah. We also welcome adults who had a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah experience as a child and want to expand their Jewish knowledge by participating as members of the ABM class. The next class will start when there is demand from the community and will likely follow the pattern of previous classes.
Attendance. The ABM classes of 5783 and 5784 met on Sunday mornings from early September into late July and culminated in a joyous Shabbat Shacharit service. Weekly classes were held in person from 9:00 am to 11:15 am in the Library at CBS except during public school vacations or when the teacher or students were out of town, in which case some or all the participants met via Zoom.
ABM Shabbat Shacharit service. The ABM Class led the Shabbat Shacharit service from Kol Haneshamah. Prayerbook for Shabbat and Festivals, our regular Siddur. Each member led portions of the service that they had previously led during the year. They also leined (chanted) Torah and shared Divrei Torah, personal teachings on the weekly Torah portion. They celebrated with family and friends not only on Saturday, but also on Friday evening when they elected to lead some of the Kabbalat Shabbat service as well. We studied the Siddur and used Pray Tell. A Haddassah Guide to Jewish Prayer as a resource about Jewish prayers and services.
Knowledge of Hebrew. Participants completed the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP) Hebrew Reading Crash Course Level I online in advance of the September session or demonstrated comparable Hebrew reading facility. We continued to develop Hebrew reading skills by going mindfully through the NJOP Hebrew Reading Crash Course book again and by reading Torah and Siddur selections as we proceeded through the course. Hebrew pronunciation followed current modern Israeli practice as described in Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Vehagim on pages xxviii-xxviii.
Torah trope and leining. After achieving Hebrew reading proficiency, every member learned Torah trope (cantillation melody). There were several opportunities for class members to lein (chant) Torah on Saturday mornings prior to the ABM service in the summer. Learning Haftarah trope and leining Haftarah was optional and at the initiative of individual class members.
Torah Study and attending services. Members were strongly encouraged to join Rabbi David’s Torah Study on Shabbat mornings at 9:00 am before services, either in person or on Zoom, as well as attend Shabbat morning services on a regular basis.
Jewish holidays study. We studied Chanukkah, Purim, Pesach, and Shavuot as time permitted.
Homework. Class members were expected to practice Hebrew and Torah skills and complete all assignments in advance of every class. To demonstrate progress, class members made recordings of their Hebrew and Torah leining assignments using the record application on their mobile phones or computers. They shared those recordings via email in time for the teacher to provide feedback before the next class. They studied the Shabbat Shacharit service in preparation for leading it as a group. They leined Torah and led parts of the Shacharit service almost monthly beginning in late winter to build confidence in advance of the ABM service in July.
Affiliation. Class members must be Congregation Beth Shalom members and are expected to make an additional donation of $400 to CBS for participation in the class when starting the program. Each student received a copy of Kol Haneshamah from CBS. The optimal class size is up to six students.
Tom Wolff