9
votes
Accepted
Do I make a bracha on smelling marijuana?
As far as I know, your making an incorrect assumption about marijuana.
However, assuming that you're correct in saying that smelling marijuana makes one feel good, then it should have the same rule ...
- 21.4k
8
votes
Am I allowed to enjoy the smell emanating from a non-kosher place that cooks using milk and meat mixture?
Mishne Berurah (Biur Halacha 216:2 s.v. haMusk) writes that one should not deliberately smell nonkosher food out of concern that they may be tempted to eat it.
He reiterates his position in regards ...
- 7,420
7
votes
Does one make a blessing on the scent of tea bags?
Dinonline answers:
Yes, if one smells a herbal tea with the intention of enjoying its
scent, one should recite a berachah. If one takes the tea to drink it,
and only smells the scent by the way,...
- 12.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Marijuana for B'Samim at Havdallah?
Another question on this site asks about whether or not one makes a bracha of marijuana. Most people who I've spoken to have told me that it smells terrible, or at least the smell is not pleasant in ...
- 21.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Bracha on smelling thyme?
This list, compiled by R' Shimon Buchnik (a Sephardi rav in Chashmonaim) says one should recite "עצי בשמים" on thyme (בת קורנית), as you suggest.
However, this source (from R' David Lau) says that ...
- 16.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Detergent smell during davening
A yeshiva.co article titled "Reciting Brachos in the Presence of Unpleasant Odors" addresses a very similar scenario:
Only substances whose malodor results from decomposition prohibit ...
- 11.8k
5
votes
How did the spices help?
Rashi doesn't say anything about the spices being helpful for getting over emotional trauma.
וגמליהם נושאים וגו' - למה פרסם הכתוב את משאם להודיע מתן שכרן של צדיקים שאין דרכן של ערביים לשאת אלא נפט ...
- 1,693
5
votes
Accepted
What is the mur incense
As Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan points out, many say that the Biblical "myrrh" was an herb. However Rambam and others say it's musk.
myrrh
(Raavad, Kley HaMikdash 1:3; Ramban; Bachya; Septuagint). Mor in ...
- 127k
5
votes
Am I allowed to enjoy the smell emanating from a non-kosher place that cooks using milk and meat mixture?
The Kaf Hachayim on Yore Deah 108:70 and Darkei Teshuva 108:102 conclude that one may not smell those things that are Assur Behana'ah, but one may smell things that are only Assur Ba'achilah.
- 5,021
5
votes
Accepted
Can I make a bracha on smelling roses that may be orla?
There is Orla only for a tree that was planted for eating.
See Rash Orla 1.1
פטור מן הערלה. כדדריש בירושלמי (הלכה א) (ויקרא יט) ונטעתם כל עץ מאכל את שהוא למאכל חייב
So, because roses are ...
- 22.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Does one make bracha "borei minei besamim" on incense or spice smoke?
Without addressing your specific examples, the answer is:
Yes, you can say a bracha on burning incense, but only once the pillar of smoke rises up from the burnt spices (Shulchan Arukh OC 216:12). ...
- 95.3k
4
votes
Marijuana for B'Samim at Havdallah?
Shulchan Aruch 216,1 writes that one can make a bracha only on pleasant aromas.
There is some question as to whether the smell of marijuana is particularly pleasant (both fresh or burnt) and this ...
- 7,420
4
votes
How did the spices help?
A good answer is provided by Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt"l in his Sichos Mussar, Maamar 16. He describes how Yosef had experienced a great deal of trauma - he was the 'ben zekunim' (the son of old ...
- 20.2k
3
votes
Why is there no blessing on smelling tasty food that's cooking or baking?
In fact there is a discussion in the Shulchan Aruch(Rama) OC 216 regarding making a bracha on the smell of hot bread. Since it is a safek it is best not to smell it year round specifically for its ...
- 39.8k
3
votes
Accepted
Is smell a spiritual sense?
Berachos 43b:
איזהו דבר שהנשמה נהנית ממנו ואין הגוף נהנה ממנו, הוי אומר זה הריח
What is a thing that the soul benefits from and the body does not? That is the sense of smell
- 57.4k
3
votes
Should I make a bracha on spice infused nasal spray?
I'm no posek, but my guess would be that no bracha should be made.
The Shulchan Aruch (217:2-3) writes, based on the Gemara (Brachos 51b), that one only makes a bracha on something that were made for ...
- 21.4k
3
votes
Accepted
smelling the extinguished havdalah candle
Rabbi Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard says this is done for the love of the Mitzva
כמו כן יש נוהגים להריח את השעווה לאחר כיבוי הנר, וזאת משום חיבוב מצווה
- 137k
3
votes
Accepted
Whats the bracha for a line of cocaine?
Cocaine is a Schedule II substance, which means that a) it has a high potential for abuse, b) it has some accepted medicinal use for treatment, and c) abuse of the substance can lead to severe ...
- 1,328
3
votes
Is one allowed to study Torah silently if one flatulated?
R Jack Abramowitz from OU writes
If a person who is praying or learning Torah passes wind, he must
pause until the offensive odor dissipates. The same is true if he is
davening and a person in ...
- 43.5k
2
votes
Should one say the blessing "borei minei besamim" on essential oils made exclusively from plant extracts?
The bracha on smelling Rose water is borei atzei besamim (Orach Chaim 216:3). Rose water is produced via condensed steam as discussed http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_water
- 7,420
2
votes
Snuff Bracha or lack thereof
באר היטב (216:32) writes not to make a bracha on regular, unflavored snuff (טואבק) inhaled by nose, because it is subject to a disagreement cited in Shulchan Aruch (ad loc., 6) regarding smells "שאין ...
- 18.7k
2
votes
Should I make the bracha on spices when entering an Indian grocery store?
Being that these spices are processed for cooking, not smelling, its quite possible that one should not make a blessing. See Mishna Berurah siman 217 #2.
- 32.3k
2
votes
Davening and a freshly fertilised lawn
As per Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 6 it would seem forbidden to pray there.
סעיף ו'
צוֹאַת אָדָם, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין לָהּ רֵיחַ רָע, וְכֵן צוֹאַת חָתוּל וּנְמִיָּה וְצוֹאַת תַּרְנְגוֹל אֱדוֹמִי (...
- 42k
2
votes
How often must a worker in a spice store say "Borei Minei B'Samim"?
Apparently only once. Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim siman 217 siff 1. No difference is made between welling in to buy or to sell. The Mishna Berurah brings an opinion not to make the bracha at all ...
- 32.3k
2
votes
What is the mur incense
The word םור is commonly translated as "myrrh" based on numerous English translations that I have seen such as in Birnbaum & Art Scroll Siddur as wellas Stone Chumash. (I haven't seen another ...
- 68.9k
2
votes
can I smell my esrog?
The Shulchan Aruch discusses this in
הלכות לולב-סימן תרנג
הדס של מצוה אסור להריח בו אבל אתרוג של מצוה מותר להריח בו מן הדין אלא שלפי שנחלקו אם מברכים עליו אם לאו יש לא יש למנוע מלהריח בו:
One may ...
- 32.3k
2
votes
Accepted
borei menei b’samim, flowers and fresh mowed grass
It's in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch - in סימן נח - דין ברכת הריח.
סעיף א': כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָסוּר לְאָדָם לֵהָנוֹת מִמַּאֲכָל אוֹ מַשְׁקֶה קֹדֶם שֶׁיְבָרֵךְ, כָּךְ אָסוּר לוֹ לֵהָנוֹת מֵרֵיחַ טוֹב קֹדֶם ...
- 42k
2
votes
Are there Kabbalistic sources that address abnormal sensitivity to smell?
I am not sure of the source for this, but I heard Rav Buta from Israel (Rav Ovadia Yosefs Chazan for 18 years) say that a the more sensitive a persons smell is, the more spirituially clean/pure that ...
- 21
2
votes
Is using scented soap on Shabbos a problem of molid?
B¨SD
Hello, it would be forbidden to use scented soap if you wanted to get the scent from the soap, and therefore it should not be used at all because it is very hard to be certain that one does not ...
- 66
2
votes
Working and living with Chickens
This is an interesting question:
The problem is with feces
Feces of chickens
you explain what is in contact and from what the smell comes.
You say that shoes are in contact with feces but was washed, ...
- 22.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible