Brachot on a Nice Smell: Difference between revisions

# 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>

==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 Atzi doesn’t cover the products that require Isbei and the Bracha of Isbei doesn't cover products that require Atzi. <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>