Brachot on Sights and Brachot on a Nice Smell: Difference between pages

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==General laws of Brachot on Sights==
Just like it is forbidden to benefit from a food without making a [[Bracha Rishona]], it is also forbidden to benefit from a nice smell before making a bracha.<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:1</ref>
# If one saw a friend one a television or heard them on the phone or radio, one doesn’t make any Bracha for seeing or hearing them. <Ref>Yalkut Yosef (vol 3 pg 406) </ref>
==Havdalah==
# All the below [[Brachot]] for certain sights are made if one hasn’t seen them in thirty days. <Ref>224:13 </ref>
# The Ashkenaz minhag is to make Boreh Minei [[Besamim]] (בורא מיני בשמים) which is the general Bracha for nice smells at [[Havdalah]] no matter what’s being used for [[besamim]]. However, according to Sephardim, one should make the appropriate Bracha for that [[besamim]]. <Ref>Mishna Brurah 297:1, Vezot HaBracha (pg 181, chapter 19) </ref>
# Seeing from a distance or airplane is still considered good enough vision in order to make the bracha as long as one can see the sight clearly and the sight is recognizable. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 154-5), Piskei Teshuvot 228:1 </ref>
# During the rest of the week, there’s no argument that there’s a distinction between the following categories:
# Seeing a sight at night warrants a Bracha as long as one the sight is distinguishable even at night. <ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 154), Piskei Teshuvot 228:1 </ref>
==Boreh Atzei Besamim==
# Some say one can still make the Bracha upon seeing a wonder of nature even after one has left as long as the sight still impresses or inspires oneself. <Ref>Halichot Shlomo 23:26 writes that if one didn't make the bracha immediately upon seeing the ocean, one may make the bracha as long as the sight effects oneself (one is still inspired or in awe). </ref> Some say that one may make the Bracha only while one is still in the area where one can still see the sight or if it’s within the [[Toch Kedi Dibbur]] of leaving that area. <Ref>Piskei Teshuvot 228:1 </ref>
# For tree products the Bracha is Boreh Atzei [[Besamim]]. Halacha includes any plant (above ground) that has a hard stalk, has leaves, and lasts from year to year. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19) </ref>
==Bracha for seeing a house of Avoda Zara==
# Examples of tree products that require Atzei [[Besamim]]: Rose, Rosemary, Jasmine, [[Hadas]] (myrtle; not on [[Sukkot]]), honeysuckle (yellow and white flowery vine) <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19) </ref>
# Nowadays we do not make the Bracha for seeing a house of Avoda Zara (which was Baruch Atta…SheNatan Erech Apayim LeOvri Retzono). <Ref> S”A 224:1 writes that for seeing an Avoda Zara the Bracha is Baruch Atta…SheNatan Erech Apayim LeOvri Retzono. The Mishna Brurah 224:2 adds that this Bracha also applies if one only sees the house of the Avoda Zara. However, the Rama 224:1 writes clearly that our minhag is not to make this Bracha nowadays since we see these houses of Avoda Zara often. Mishna Brurah 224:3 extends the case to even if one didn’t see the house of Avoda Zara in thirty days one still doesn’t make the Bracha. </ref>
==Boreh Isbei Besamim==
==Bracha for seeing a scholar==
# For shrub products the Bracha is Boreh Isbei [[Besamim]]. Halacha includes any plant that has a soft stalk or doesn’t last from year to year. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19) </ref>
# For seeing a great Jewish Chacham (wise scholar) the Bracha is Baruch Atta…SheChalak MeChachmato LeYire’av ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם שחלק מחכמתו . ליראיו <ref>S”A 224:6 </ref> However, this Bracha is made rarely because it should only be made for a wise scholar, G-d fearing person, and man of [[Middot]]. <Ref>Piskei Teshuvot 224:4, Yalkut Yosef (vol 3 pg 602) </ref>
# Examples of shrub products that require Boreh Isbei [[Besamim]]: mint, hyacinth, daffodil (certain types). <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19) </ref>
# For seeing a brilliant non-Jewish secular scholar the Bracha is Baruch Atta…SheNatan MeChachmato LeBasar VeDam. <Ref>S”A 224:7 </ref> Some say that there’s a minhag not to make this Bracha nowadays. <Ref>Piskei Teshuvot 224:5 writes that the minhag is not to make this Bracha since some say that one should make the Bracha on non-Jews that don’t keep the 7 מצות of Bnei Noach </ref>
==HaNoten Rayach Tov BaPerot==
==Bracha for seeing a king or queen==
# For edible fruits that give off a strong smell (from the fruit and not from the peel) the Bracha required is HaNoten Rayach Tov BaPerot. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:2 </ref> The major limitation of this category is that one should only make the Bracha for a strong smell and only if the fruit is taken to smell and not to eat. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 175, chapter 19) </ref>
# Upon seeing a king or queen who is Jewish one should recite '''ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם שחלק מכבודו ליראיו''' (Baruch... Shechalak Mikvodo Liyireav). If he is not jewish one should recite '''ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם שחלק מכבודו לבשר ודם''' (Baruch... Shenatan Mikvodo Libriyotav). <ref> [[Berachot]] 58a, S"A 224:8 </ref>
# Examples: [[Etrog]] (not on [[Sukkot]]), quince, apple, and melon. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 175, chapter 19) </ref>
# It is questionable if nowadays one should make this Beracha for seeing a king, queen, president, or prime minister, and therefore one should only make this Bracha without [[Shem UMalchut]]. <Ref>
 
* How much power does the ruler have to have in order to make the Bracha upon seeing him? Rav Ovadia Yosef Yechave Daat 2:28 cites the Radvaz 1:296 as well as the Orchot Chaim [[Berachot]] 49 that say that this beracha is recited on any monarch with enough power to execute or pardon from execution. Halacha Brurah 224:14 writes that one makes the Bracha (with [[Shem UMalchut]]) on a king of a country even if he is democratically elected and even if he is only ruler for a term as long as there isn’t a another figure above him that can nullify his decision such as if his decisions don’t need to be approved by parliament. Halacha Brurah mentions specically if the ruler has the power to pardon someone sentenced to death or declare war against another country then one may make the Bracha on that king with [[Shem UMalchut]].
==Boreh Minei Besamim==
* Does the king need to be wearing royal clothing? Rav Ovadia Yosef in Sh”t Yabia Omer 8:22(25) rules that one doesn’t make the Bracha with [[Shem UMalchut]] if the king is wearing normal clothing (not royal clothes). Actually, Rav Ovadyah Yosef writes that when the US President Nixon came to [[Israel]] that they made the Bracha without [[Shem UMalchut]] because he was wearing normal clothes. Rav Moshe HaLevi in Birkat Hashem (vol 4 3:32) agrees. [See, however, Halacha Brurah 224:14 writes that even if the king isn’t wearing royal clothing but as long as he is recognizably respected by his officers that surround him and by the many people coming to see him, then one may make the Bracha with [[Shem UMalchut]] on such a king. Sh”t Elyashiv HaKohen 2:26 quotes Rav Mazuz who agrees with Halacha Brurah.]
# The general Bracha for nice smells is Boreh Minei [[Besamim]] and is made for non-plant or fruit products, or for items for which there’s an unresolved dispute in the poskim. <ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 175-7, chapter 19) </ref>
* Piskei Teshuvot 224:6,7 concludes that nowadays one should make this Bracha without [[Shem UMalchut]] for seeing a king, queen, president, or prime minister.
# Examples: cinnamon, cloves (common for [[Havdalah]]), lemon, hot ground coffee beans (taken to smell), mixture of tree and shrub products. <ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 397, Luach [[Brachot]]).
* See also Shu"t Minchas Elazar Vol. 5 Siman 7, Shu"t Shevet Haleivi Vol. 1 Siman 35. </ref>
* Shulchan Aruch 212:2 writes that a fruit that is meant to be eaten the bracha is hanoten reyach tov bpeirot. His examples include cloves and cinnamon. The Shaar Hatziyun 212:12 writes that the Chaye Adam and Derech Chaim question Shulchan Aruch since cloves and cinnamon aren't meant to be eaten. The Shaar Hatziyun only accepts their claim regarding cloves but for cinnamon argues that it should be hanoten reyach tov bpeirot because cinnamon is eaten as a spice in foods. Nonetheless, he adds that it could be better to just make borei mini besamim since that cover it in any case. The Vezot Habracha p. 175 concludes that it is preferable to recite mini besamim for this reason.</ref> However, Sephardim hold that if the cinnamon or cloves were designated for smelling and not eating, such as is common for Havdalah, the bracha would be Boreh Atzi Besamim.<ref>Birkat Hashem 3:12:17. See Shulchan Aruch 216:2.</ref>
# This Bracha applies equally to a male king as to a female queen, however, one shouldn’t stare at the queen but only a quick look. <Ref>Halacha Brurah 224:15 quoting Sh”t Bear Moshe 2:9(4), 2:14(16), Sh”t Shevet HaLevi 1:35, Sh”t Rivevot Efraim 1:47(3), B’tzel Hachachma 2:19 and others who all make this distinction between staring and seeing based on Beit Yosef 75 d"h viasur. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Braun in She’arim Metzuyanim B’halacha 1:60:7 rules however that one cannot recite the blessing over a queen because a man may never even gaze at a woman. See also Rav Moshe Shternbuch in Sh”t Teshuvot ViHanhagot 2:139 rules that since the obligation is based on the honor given to that monarch, that one should in fact recite the beracha upon seeing the monarch of modern day England, even a female despite the fact that we don't allow for a Jewish monarch to be a women.</ref>
# For synthetic smells, as is common in cheap perfumes, some say that the Bracha is Boreh Minei [[Besamim]] and some say that there’s no Bracha on such a smell. <Ref> Vezot HaBracha (pg 182, chapter 19) quotes a dispute between Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg who says that synthetic products have a Bracha, and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach who holds that no Bracha is made. [http://www.dailyhalacha.com/Display.asp?PageIndex=&ClipID=2622 Rabbi Eli Mansour] quotes Chacham Benzion Abba Shaul (Sh"t Or Litzion volume 2: pg. 137) as well as Chacham Ovadia Yosef (Chazon Ovadia [[Berachot]] pg. 313) that a beracha should be recited. He adds that even though Chacham David Yosef (son of Chacham Ovadia) says that he convinced his father that a beracha shouldn't be recited, nevertheless, one may recite a beracha or use it for [[havdalah]]. </ref>
# Seeing the monarch on television would not obligate you in the beracha. <ref> Yechave Daat 2:28 compares it to saying birkat halevana upon seeing the moon in the mirror, which we do not do based on the gemara in rosh hashana 24b and birkei yosef Choshen Mishpat 35:11 </ref>
 
==Bore Shemen Arev==
# One should make a beracha of Bore Shemen Arev on a persimmon grown in Eretz Yisrael. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:6 </ref>
==A Mixture of Nice Smells==
# One should make the beracha of Bore Mine Besamim on a mixture of nice smells. <ref> BI"H, VaEtchanan, 8 </ref>
 
==Scented Fluids==
# One should make the Beracha of Bore Mineh Besamim on scented fluids unless it is clearly rose water. <ref> BI"H, VaEtchanan, 11 </ref>
 
==After the fact==
# There’s a dispute whether Bracha of [[Shehakol]] covers any Bracha for a nice smell and because of the dispute, after the fact, one may not make another Bracha. <ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 176, chapter 19) </ref>
# The Bracha of Atzei doesn’t cover the products that require Isbei and the Bracha of Isbei doesn't cover products that require Atzei. <Ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:7, Mishna Brurah 216:39, Vezot HaBracha (pg 176, chapter 19) </ref>
 
==If one’s in doubt==
# If you have a plant which has a nice smell but you personally are in doubt as to whether the Bracha is Atzei or Isbei, if it’s easy to find out the correct Bracha, one should do so, otherwise, one may make Boreh Minei [[Besamim]]. (This is different than foods where there’s an obligation to figure out the appropriate halacha instead of making [[Shehakol]].) <ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:7, Vezot HaBracha (pg 176, chapter 19) </ref>
# If one is unsure whether a product has a nice or strong smell, one may smell it to check, and if it has a good smell then make the Bracha and smell it again. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 180, chapter 19), [https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehalacha.com%2Fattach%2FVolume4%2FIssue11.pdf Halachically Speaking] quoting Ben Ish Chai (VaEtchanan#2), Rav Chaim Kanievsky quoted in Sefer Brachos K'Hilchasan pg. 150 </ref>
 
==New Smells==
# One should NOT make the beracha of shehecheyanu upon smelling new scents. <ref> BI"H, VaEtchanan, 1; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 59:18 </ref>
 
==No Bracha==
# It is forbidden to smell a scent made for Avoda Zara and all the more so it is forbidden to make a beracha on it. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:14 </ref>
# Certain items have no Bracha including: tavak <ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 397, Luach [[Brachot]]) </ref>
# No Bracha is made on a smell that was absorbed or rubbed off a nice smelling product, but now there’s no substance of the Basamim existent. Example: perfume bottle, [[etrog]] box, tea leaves. <ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 180, chapter 19) </ref>
# No Bracha is made of a nice smelling product that was used to remove a bad smell. For example, one does not make a bracha upon smelling the nice smell of an air freshener in a bathroom. <Ref>Vezot HaBracha (pg 179, chapter 19) </ref>
#The beracha of [[shehecheyanu]] is not recited on a fragrance, even those that are renewed each year. <ref> Mishna Brurah 225:16 </ref>
 
==List of Brachot==
<table width="700" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" bordercolor="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><tr> <td><span class="style5"> Item </span></td> <td><span class="style5"> Ashkenazim (Vezot HaBracha, Luach [[Brachot]]) </span></td> <td><span class="style5"> Sephardim (Birkat Hashem vol 3) </span></td>
</tr><tr> <td> Air freshener (if taken to smell) </td> <td> No Bracha </td> <td> Minei Besamim </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Black pepper                   </td> <td> Questionable <ref> The Mishna Brurah 297:1 rules that since there is a dispute among the poskim (whether one should make any bracha on it) one shouldn't make a bracha on it. The Vezot HaBracha (pg 179) agrees and adds that due to this dispute one should refrain from smelling it. </ref></td> <td> Minei [[Besamim]] <ref> Kaf HaChaim 297:5, Rav Moshe HaLevi (Menuchat Ahava (vol 1 9:24) and Birkat Hashem (vol 3, 12:17), Ish Matzliach (commentary on Mishna Brurah 297:1) </ref></td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Cinnamon                          </td> <td> Minei Besamim    </td> <td> Minei Besamim </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Cloves         </td>    <td> Minei [[Besamim]]    </td> <td> Atzei [[Besamim]] </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Daffodil </td> <td> Isbei Besamim         </td> <td> Minei Besamim </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Deodorant </td> <td> Dispute </td> <td> Minei [[Besamim]] </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Etrog </td> <td> HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot </td> <td> HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Ground coffee beans </td> <td> Minei [[Besamim]] </td> <td> No Bracha </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> [[Hadas]] (myrtle) </td> <td> Atzei Besamim </td> <td> Atzei Besamim </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Honeysuckle </td> <td> Atzei [[Besamim]] </td> <td> - </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Hyacinth </td> <td> Isbei Besamim </td> <td> - </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Jasmine </td> <td> Atzei [[Besamim]] </td> <td> - </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Lemon </td> <td> Minei Besamim </td> <td> Minei Besamim </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Melon </td> <td> HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot </td> <td> - </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Mint </td> <td> Isbei Besamim </td> <td> Isbei Besamim </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Orange </td> <td> - </td> <td> Minei [[Besamim]] </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Quince </td> <td> HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot </td> <td> - </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Rose </td> <td> Atzei [[Besamim]] </td> <td> Atzei [[Besamim]] </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Rosemary </td> <td> Atzei Besamim </td> <td> - </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Tavak </td> <td> No Bracha </td> <td> No Bracha </td></tr><tr>
</tr><tr> <td> Zatar </td> <td> - </td> <td> Minei Besamim </td></tr><tr> </table>


==Bracha for seeing a cemetery==
# For seeing a Jewish cemetery the Bracha is Baruch Atta…[[Asher Yatzer]] Etchem…Mechaye Maytim. ''ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם, אשר יצר אתכם בדין ודן אתכם בדין וכלכל אתכם בדין והחיה אתכם בדין, ואסף אתכם בדין, ויודע מספר כולכם, ועתיד להחיותכם ולהקימכם בדין לחיי העולם הבא, ברוך אתה ה' מחיה המתים'' <ref> S”A 224:12, Mishna Brurah 224:17, Piskei Teshuvot 224:10, Yalkut Yosef (vol 3 pg 604), Kitzur S"A 60:11 </ref> This Bracha can be made for seeing it through glass and so if one see a cemetery from a car while driving one can make this Bracha. <Ref> Piskei Teshuvot 224:10, Yalkut Yosef (vol 3 pg 605) </ref> Some say that one may make the Bracha even after leaving the sight as long as one is still effected and impacted by it. <ref>Halichot Shlomo 23:26 (in the footnote) writes that if one didn't make the bracha immediately upon seeing the Jewish cemetery, one may make the bracha as long as the sight effects oneself. </ref>
==Bracha for seeing a friend==
# Nowadays, the Ashkenazic minhag is not to make a bracha upon seeing a friend after 30 days or after 12 months. <Ref> Halichot Shlomo 23:12, Piskei Teshuvot 225:2. Mishna Brurah 225:2 says to recite [[shehecheyanu]] upon seeing a friend, parent, or teacher that one has not seen in 30 days as long as there hasn't been any correspondence. </ref>
# However, some say Sephardic minhag is to make the Bracha of [[Shehecheyanu]] even if one was in contact as long as one hasn’t seen them for 30 days, while some disagree. <Ref>Yalkut Yosef (vol 3 pg 605) writes that the minhag is to make both these [[Brachot]] under the conditions of S”A. However, Vezot HaBracha (pg 171) quotes Rav Mordechai Eliyahu who says that the minhag is not to make these [[Brachot]] nowadays. </ref>
==Bracha for seeing 600,000 people==
# Upon seeing 600,000 Jews there’s a Bracha of Baruch Atta…Chacham HaRazim, however, this is a extremely rare occurrence. <Ref>S”A 224:5 </ref>
# Upon seeing 600,000 non-Jews one should say the פסוק “Boshu Imachem Meod…” and some say that one can say this for any [[gathering]] of non-Jews. <Ref>S”A 224:5, Piskei Teshuvot 225:3 quoting the Sh”t Divrei Yetsiv 1:91 and Brachat HaBayit Shaar 29:3 </ref>
==Other specific Brachot on Sights==
*[[Oseh Maaseh Beresheet]]
*[[Bracha for seeing a rainbow]]
*[[Bracha for a miracle]]
*[[Bracha for an unusual creature]]
*[[Birchat Ilanot]]
*[[Bracha for Rain]]
*[[Birkat HaLevana]]
*[[Birkat HaHammah]] (bircas haChammah)
==Related Links==
# [http://www.bknw.org/pafiledb/uploads/beracha%20recited%20upon%20seeing%20royalty.pdf Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz] about making a Bracha for seeing royalty.
==Common Questions==
# Does one make a Bracha for seeing the President? See above [[#Bracha for seeing a king or queen]].
==Sources==
==Sources==
<References/>
<references/>
[[Category:Brachot]]
[[Category:Brachot]]

Revision as of 05:07, 20 February 2017

Just like it is forbidden to benefit from a food without making a Bracha Rishona, it is also forbidden to benefit from a nice smell before making a bracha.[1]

Havdalah

  1. The Ashkenaz minhag is to make Boreh Minei Besamim (בורא מיני בשמים) which is the general Bracha for nice smells at Havdalah no matter what’s being used for besamim. However, according to Sephardim, one should make the appropriate Bracha for that besamim. [2]
  2. During the rest of the week, there’s no argument that there’s a distinction between the following categories:

Boreh Atzei Besamim

  1. For tree products the Bracha is Boreh Atzei Besamim. Halacha includes any plant (above ground) that has a hard stalk, has leaves, and lasts from year to year. [3]
  2. Examples of tree products that require Atzei Besamim: Rose, Rosemary, Jasmine, Hadas (myrtle; not on Sukkot), honeysuckle (yellow and white flowery vine) [4]

Boreh Isbei Besamim

  1. For shrub products the Bracha is Boreh Isbei Besamim. Halacha includes any plant that has a soft stalk or doesn’t last from year to year. [5]
  2. Examples of shrub products that require Boreh Isbei Besamim: mint, hyacinth, daffodil (certain types). [6]

HaNoten Rayach Tov BaPerot

  1. For edible fruits that give off a strong smell (from the fruit and not from the peel) the Bracha required is HaNoten Rayach Tov BaPerot. [7] The major limitation of this category is that one should only make the Bracha for a strong smell and only if the fruit is taken to smell and not to eat. [8]
  2. Examples: Etrog (not on Sukkot), quince, apple, and melon. [9]

Boreh Minei Besamim

  1. The general Bracha for nice smells is Boreh Minei Besamim and is made for non-plant or fruit products, or for items for which there’s an unresolved dispute in the poskim. [10]
  2. Examples: cinnamon, cloves (common for Havdalah), lemon, hot ground coffee beans (taken to smell), mixture of tree and shrub products. [11] However, Sephardim hold that if the cinnamon or cloves were designated for smelling and not eating, such as is common for Havdalah, the bracha would be Boreh Atzi Besamim.[12]
  3. For synthetic smells, as is common in cheap perfumes, some say that the Bracha is Boreh Minei Besamim and some say that there’s no Bracha on such a smell. [13]

Bore Shemen Arev

  1. One should make a beracha of Bore Shemen Arev on a persimmon grown in Eretz Yisrael. [14]

A Mixture of Nice Smells

  1. One should make the beracha of Bore Mine Besamim on a mixture of nice smells. [15]

Scented Fluids

  1. One should make the Beracha of Bore Mineh Besamim on scented fluids unless it is clearly rose water. [16]

After the fact

  1. There’s a dispute whether Bracha of Shehakol covers any Bracha for a nice smell and because of the dispute, after the fact, one may not make another Bracha. [17]
  2. The Bracha of Atzei doesn’t cover the products that require Isbei and the Bracha of Isbei doesn't cover products that require Atzei. [18]

If one’s in doubt

  1. If you have a plant which has a nice smell but you personally are in doubt as to whether the Bracha is Atzei or Isbei, if it’s easy to find out the correct Bracha, one should do so, otherwise, one may make Boreh Minei Besamim. (This is different than foods where there’s an obligation to figure out the appropriate halacha instead of making Shehakol.) [19]
  2. If one is unsure whether a product has a nice or strong smell, one may smell it to check, and if it has a good smell then make the Bracha and smell it again. [20]

New Smells

  1. One should NOT make the beracha of shehecheyanu upon smelling new scents. [21]

No Bracha

  1. It is forbidden to smell a scent made for Avoda Zara and all the more so it is forbidden to make a beracha on it. [22]
  2. Certain items have no Bracha including: tavak [23]
  3. No Bracha is made on a smell that was absorbed or rubbed off a nice smelling product, but now there’s no substance of the Basamim existent. Example: perfume bottle, etrog box, tea leaves. [24]
  4. No Bracha is made of a nice smelling product that was used to remove a bad smell. For example, one does not make a bracha upon smelling the nice smell of an air freshener in a bathroom. [25]
  5. The beracha of shehecheyanu is not recited on a fragrance, even those that are renewed each year. [26]

List of Brachot

Item Ashkenazim (Vezot HaBracha, Luach Brachot) Sephardim (Birkat Hashem vol 3)
Air freshener (if taken to smell) No Bracha Minei Besamim
Black pepper Questionable [27] Minei Besamim [28]
Cinnamon Minei Besamim Minei Besamim
Cloves Minei Besamim Atzei Besamim
Daffodil Isbei Besamim Minei Besamim
Deodorant Dispute Minei Besamim
Etrog HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot
Ground coffee beans Minei Besamim No Bracha
Hadas (myrtle) Atzei Besamim Atzei Besamim
Honeysuckle Atzei Besamim -
Hyacinth Isbei Besamim -
Jasmine Atzei Besamim -
Lemon Minei Besamim Minei Besamim
Melon HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot -
Mint Isbei Besamim Isbei Besamim
Orange - Minei Besamim
Quince HaNoten Rayach Tov BeParot -
Rose Atzei Besamim Atzei Besamim
Rosemary Atzei Besamim -
Tavak No Bracha No Bracha
Zatar - Minei Besamim

Sources

  1. ↑ Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:1
  2. ↑ Mishna Brurah 297:1, Vezot HaBracha (pg 181, chapter 19)
  3. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19)
  4. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19)
  5. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19)
  6. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 174, chapter 19)
  7. ↑ Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:2
  8. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 175, chapter 19)
  9. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 175, chapter 19)
  10. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 175-7, chapter 19)
  11. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 397, Luach Brachot).
    • Shulchan Aruch 212:2 writes that a fruit that is meant to be eaten the bracha is hanoten reyach tov bpeirot. His examples include cloves and cinnamon. The Shaar Hatziyun 212:12 writes that the Chaye Adam and Derech Chaim question Shulchan Aruch since cloves and cinnamon aren't meant to be eaten. The Shaar Hatziyun only accepts their claim regarding cloves but for cinnamon argues that it should be hanoten reyach tov bpeirot because cinnamon is eaten as a spice in foods. Nonetheless, he adds that it could be better to just make borei mini besamim since that cover it in any case. The Vezot Habracha p. 175 concludes that it is preferable to recite mini besamim for this reason.
  12. ↑ Birkat Hashem 3:12:17. See Shulchan Aruch 216:2.
  13. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 182, chapter 19) quotes a dispute between Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg who says that synthetic products have a Bracha, and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach who holds that no Bracha is made. Rabbi Eli Mansour quotes Chacham Benzion Abba Shaul (Sh"t Or Litzion volume 2: pg. 137) as well as Chacham Ovadia Yosef (Chazon Ovadia Berachot pg. 313) that a beracha should be recited. He adds that even though Chacham David Yosef (son of Chacham Ovadia) says that he convinced his father that a beracha shouldn't be recited, nevertheless, one may recite a beracha or use it for havdalah.
  14. ↑ Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:6
  15. ↑ BI"H, VaEtchanan, 8
  16. ↑ BI"H, VaEtchanan, 11
  17. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 176, chapter 19)
  18. ↑ Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:7, Mishna Brurah 216:39, Vezot HaBracha (pg 176, chapter 19)
  19. ↑ Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:7, Vezot HaBracha (pg 176, chapter 19)
  20. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 180, chapter 19), Halachically Speaking quoting Ben Ish Chai (VaEtchanan#2), Rav Chaim Kanievsky quoted in Sefer Brachos K'Hilchasan pg. 150
  21. ↑ BI"H, VaEtchanan, 1; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 59:18
  22. ↑ Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 58:14
  23. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 397, Luach Brachot)
  24. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 180, chapter 19)
  25. ↑ Vezot HaBracha (pg 179, chapter 19)
  26. ↑ Mishna Brurah 225:16
  27. ↑ The Mishna Brurah 297:1 rules that since there is a dispute among the poskim (whether one should make any bracha on it) one shouldn't make a bracha on it. The Vezot HaBracha (pg 179) agrees and adds that due to this dispute one should refrain from smelling it.
  28. ↑ Kaf HaChaim 297:5, Rav Moshe HaLevi (Menuchat Ahava (vol 1 9:24) and Birkat Hashem (vol 3, 12:17), Ish Matzliach (commentary on Mishna Brurah 297:1)
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