Bar Mitzvah Online offers live, one-on-one Bar Mitzvah lessons online with Rabbi Menachem Sabbah, who has taught Bar Mitzvah students for nearly 20 years. Each boy learns on Zoom, privately with the Rabbi, in the Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Chabad or Yerushalmi tradition and at his own level, whether he reads Hebrew with ease or is starting from the beginning.
Families begin with a 30-minute assessment lesson.
Every lesson is live: one boy, one rabbi, 45 minutes, once a week. There are no pre-recorded videos and no group classes. Course material and MP3 recordings are included, so your son can practise between lessons with the Rabbi’s own reading. A parent is welcome to sit in on any lesson.
Lessons run on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, between 8am and 11am Melbourne time. The booking calendar shows every time in your own time zone, so you can see straight away what suits your family.
He will learn to read Hebrew with confidence, to say the blessings for an aliyah, and to read from the Torah with the cantillation notes in his family’s tradition. He will also learn the haftarah and the maftir, and receive tips on preparing an engaging Bar Mitzvah speech and delivering it with confidence.
If he cannot yet read Hebrew, he begins with the letters. The blessings can also be learned in transliteration, so a boy who is new to Hebrew can still be called to the Torah with confidence. See lessons for a boy who cannot read Hebrew.
Most boys begin weekly lessons 8 to 12 months before the Bar Mitzvah. The aim is that your son is fully ready 6 weeks before his Bar Mitzvah, so the last weeks are for polishing and not for pressure. Use our Bar Mitzvah calculator to find his date and Torah portion, then count back. If the date is closer than that, ask: the assessment will tell you plainly what is realistic.
Read more: How long does it take to prepare for a Bar Mitzvah?
Rabbi Menachem Sabbah has taught Bar Mitzvah students for nearly 20 years. He teaches every boy himself, and he adjusts the pace and the material to the boy in front of him, whatever his age, background or Hebrew.
The aim is not only to prepare one Torah portion. Your son learns to recognise and apply the cantillation notes (taamim), so that he can read any Torah portion after his Bar Mitzvah, not only his own.
Rabbi Menachem Sabbah teaches each student according to his own needs, whatever his age or previous knowledge. Parents are welcome to ask how it is going at any time.
You manage your own bookings online. If you need to change a lesson, use your booking link at least 24 hours before it begins.
Begin with a 30-minute assessment with Rabbi Menachem Sabbah on Zoom. Your son reads for the Rabbi, you ask your questions, and you leave with a one-page plan to keep: his date and Torah portion, his reading level, how many months he needs, and a weekly schedule. If you continue, the assessment is credited in full toward the first month.
What the assessment gives your family
For a family 8 to 12 months from the date, this is the step that prevents a rushed final month.
Would you like to ask a question first? Send a message on WhatsApp or use the enquiry form. Parents are always welcome to ask before booking.
Because every lesson is online, your family can join from wherever you live. You need a computer or tablet with a camera, a stable internet connection and a quiet room. Lessons are taught in English, French or Hebrew. Families who prefer French can visit our French-language page.
Listen to a demo - Torah readingHear a Torah reading in Ashkenazi, Chabad, Sephardi and Yerushalmi nusach, so you can choose the tradition that matches your family. |
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Book a 30-minute assessment with Rabbi Menachem Sabbah.
Questions first? Message us on WhatsApp or use the enquiry form.