Questions tagged [smell]

also: odor, scent, fragrance

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11 votes
2 answers
590 views

Stuffed nose and havdallah

If I have a stuffed nose and cannot smell besamim, can I make havdallah? Do I still say borei minei besamim even though I can't consciously smell them, with the assumption that I'm still benefiting ...
Charles Koppelman's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Do I make a bracha on smelling marijuana?

When we smell a nice plant, we make a blessing on it -- either בורא מיני בשמים, or בורא עשבי בשמים, depending on what kind of plant it is. (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 216) Ignoring, for the moment, ...
MTL's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
173 views

Bracha on Synthetic Smells

What is or is there a Bracha on Synthetically developed smells in the halachic literature and what is the source as I would Imagine artificial scents are a recent phenomenon?
simchastorah's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
620 views

Snuff Bracha or lack thereof

Is there or what is the Bracha on Tobacco Snuff especially now that they come with mint and buble gum flavor (at least in Israel)?
simchastorah's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
836 views

Where can I get "Afarsimon" oil?

The Shulchan Aruch rules in OC 216:4 that there is a special blessing to say upon smelling "Afarsimon" oil. (The blessing is ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם בּוֹרֵא שֶמֶן עָרֵב) The Mishna Berura there, ...
Double AA's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is one allowed to spray cologne on shabbos?

Is one allowed to spray cologne on shabbos? Any rules against doing this? As always, please cite your sources
Bochur613's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
173 views

Near a bad smell, one might want to do Sh'ma, the Amidah, blessings, study, or think Torah. Is halacha equally strict about all five acts?

"Just as one separates oneself from excreta, urine, a foul odor, a corpse and the sight of nakedness for Kri'at Shema, so too, he should separate himself for Shemoneh Esreh". —Rambam. Hilchos ...
unforgettableidSupportsMonica's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
375 views

New blessing on spices (besamim)

After reciting a blessing on spices (besamim), how much time must elapse before a new blessing is required? Or is this not time-dependent, but rather something that depends on one's attention (i.e. ...
Dave's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
842 views

can I smell my esrog?

There is such a concept of something that is 'huktzah l'mitzvasa' (set aside for its mitzvah observance), I was wondering about the smelling of the esrog and how this rule would be applied to it?
tony's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
331 views

Did the garbage in the teiva (ark) stink?

The verse says that the Ark was to have three floors, and Rashi (based on Sanhedrin 108b) explains this as follows; "the bottom floor" was for waste, the "second" floor for the animals and the "third" ...
Zalman's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
494 views

Does one make bracha "borei minei besamim" on incense or spice smoke?

I know that when you smell "raw" spices, you say "borei minei besamim". Can you make this bracha on the smokey smell when these spices are being burned? Some examples: If you burn an incense stick ...
DanF's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is deodorant allowed on Yom Kippur?

May deodorant be applied on Yom Kippur, or is it a case of anointing which is forbidden?
yydl's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
526 views

Shaliach Tzibbur and passing gas

The Shulchan Aruch 103:2 writes one praying who needs to pass gas should thereafter wait until the smell leaves and then continue praying. If one smells a bad smell should also wait until the smell ...
sam's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
589 views

Bracha on Lemon with Cloves

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch brings down a minhag to make three Brachos (Eisvay, Minay, Nosson Reiach tov Lapri) on Smell on Yom Kippur to make up for The Hundred bracha a day Obligation and in some ...
SimchasTorah's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
2k views

Am I allowed to enjoy the smell emanating from a non-kosher place that cooks using milk and meat mixture?

I know that one cannot gain "Hana'ah" from meat and dairy mixtures. I understood the term "hana'ah" to mean "pleasure" or "benefit". My neighbor makes wonderful-smelling Italian cooking. The smell ...
DanF's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
114 views

borei menei b’samim, flowers and fresh mowed grass

Someone told me that if one stops to smell the flowers he should remember to make the borei menei b’samim. Where is the source for this in halacha? Does one make borei menei b’samim if he enjoys the ...
Chiddushei Torah's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
85 views

Can I make a bracha on smelling roses that may be orla?

Roses are considered "Atzei Besamim" so does orla apply to them and if so do I make a bracha on smelling orla roses?
Shaya Naftoli's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
126 views

Why is there no blessing on smelling tasty food that's cooking or baking?

AFAIK, the only "smelly" bracha we make is when smelling spices. good smelling twigs and good smelling fruit. It seems that the bracha should be made on "raw" items, only. Apparently, the sages ...
DanF's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
874 views

Cologne for men?

The Gemara brochois 43b and rambam daiot 5.9 quoted below writes that a Talmid Chacham should not wear cologne (a scent). Does this apply nowadays? I've personally smelled a Rosh Yeshiva's strong ...
Yishaq's user avatar
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