Chapter 58 Laws : Concerning the Berachah over Fragrance

---

§1

Just as we are forbidden to enjoy food or drink before reciting a berachah, so are we forbidden to enjoy any fragrant scent before reciting a berachah. As it is said, "Let every soul praise God." And what is it that only the soul enjoys and from which the body derives no pleasure? It is the fragrant scent. However, after enjoying [the fragrance], you need not say a concluding berachah, for as soon as the fragrance ceases, your enjoyment ceases, and it is the same as food that has already been digested.

---

§2

What berachah do you say over a pleasant fragrance? If the fragrance comes from a fruit that can be eaten, whether it is a fruit of a tree or a fruit of the ground, even if it can be eaten only when mixed [with other ingredients] such as nutmeg or a lemon or an esrog (citron) (all year round, except during the festival of Sukkos, as explained in Chapter 137:7), nevertheless, since this fruit is used mainly as food, you recite over it the berachah Asher nasan [Who gave] (some say: Hanosein) (Who gives .. .) rei'ach tov bapeiros [a fragrant scent into fruit]. [You say this berachah] only when you intentionally inhale it. But if your mind was not on smelling the fragrance, but you intended only to eat the fruit, and the fragrance reached you unintentionally, you need not say the berachah over the fragrance. If you smell roasted coffee, which has a pleasant scent, you say the berachah Asher nasan rei'ach tov bapeiros.

---

§3

If the thing from which the fragrance emanates is a tree or a tree-like plant, you say the berachah Borei atzei vesamim [Who has created fragrant woods]. Therefore, over myrtle, roses, frankincense and the like, you say Borei atzei vesamim. Since the main feature of these is not their food value, but rather their fragrance, they are not considered fruit. Regarding pepper and ginger, some authorities hold that they require a berachah, whereas according to others, no berachah should be said. Therefore, you should not smell [pepper and ginger].

---

§4

[If the fragrance emanates] from grass or herbs you should recite Borei isvei vesamim [Who has created fragrant herbs]. (The letter ayin of isvei) is vocalized with a short i, the letter beis [of isvei] is pronounced as a veis. Likewise, the beis of vesamim is pronounced as a veis because it follows a yud, (the last letter of isvei) and the first letter of a word that follows an alef, hei, vav, or yud never carries a dagesh. The characteristic feature that tells the difference between a tree and an herb is this: if its stalk is as hard as the stalk of flax and is perennial and produces leaves, it is a tree, but if the stalk is always soft, it is an herb.

---

§5

If it is neither a tree nor an herb, but like musk, [when you inhale its fragrance] you recite the berachah Borei minei vesamim, [Who has created various kinds of fragrances]. Likewise, [when you smell dried mushrooms, if they have a pleasant scent, it seems to me that you should also say the berachah Borei minei vesamim.

---

§6

Balsam oil which grows in the Land of Israel, enjoys a prominence as a product of the Land of Israel, and a special berachah has been instituted for it, which reads: Borei shemen areiv [Who has created pleasant-scented oil].

---

§7

[If, by mistake] you said over a fragrance from a tree the berachah Borei isvei vesamim, or, conversely, [over fragrances from herbs, you said atzei vesamim], you have not fulfilled your obligation. But if you say Borei minei vesamim over any of the [fragrant] species, you have fulfilled your obligation. Therefore, if you are in doubt, regarding any species, as to what berachah to say, and you are unable to determine its classification, you should say the berachah Borei minei vesamim. It seems to me that if you said the berachah Borei atzei vesamim on smelling the fruit of a tree, you have fulfilled your duty. Therefore, it seems to me, that on smelling cloves, orange peel, and lemon peel, you should say Borei atzei vesamim.

---

§8

Oil or water that was scented with spices from fragnrant wood (which are still in the oil or water), require the berachah Borei atzei vesamim. But [if the oil or water was scented] with fragrant herbs, you say [when smelling it] Borei isvei vesamim. If it was perfumed with both wood and herbs, you should say Borei minei vesamim. In all cases where the fragrance is a blend of several components, you should recite Borei minei vesamim. If the scent-producing substances were removed from the oil or the water, it is questionable whether a berachah is needed because the main ingredients are absent. Therefore, you should refrain from smelling [this kind of fragrance].

---

§9

If fragrant fruit is set before you together with scented wood, herbs, and spices, you should say over each the berachah that is appropriate to it [in the following order:] first you say the berachah over the fruit, then over the wood, then over the herbs, and, finally, the berachah over the spices.

---

§10

[If you smell] incense, i.e., spices burnt on coals which produces aromatic fragrances, you should say the berachah as soon as the fumes rise, before inhaling the aroma, as is the rule with all berachos said over articles for human enjoyment. However, you should riot say the berachah before the fumes rise, for a berachah must be recited immediately before the enjoyment. If the incense consists of fragrant wood, you should recite Borei atzei Vesamim; if it consists of herbs, isvei vesamim, if it is made up of other kinds [of spices], you should say Borei minei vesamim, You should say the berachah only when you burn the incense especially in order to smell its aroma, but if incense is burned in order to deodorize [a room], as in the case where aromatic substances are placed near a corpse, no berachah should be said.

---

§11

All spices that are not meant specifically for smelling such as spices that are stored in a rooms as merchandise and perfume used only to scent garments, and not meant to be smelled for its fragrance, but only to give a fresh scent to the garments, require no berachah, even when you smell them intentionally.

---

§12

However, if you enter a store that sells spices, or a pharmacy, and you intend to smell them, you should say Borei minei vesamim, since the spices in the store are displayed in order to be smelled, as this is the shopkeeper's interest, for the aroma will make people buy [the spices]. If you keep going in and out of the store, [and when you first said the berachah,] you had in mind to return to the store, you need not repeat the berachah. But if you were distracted or you stayed away a long time from the store or you visited another store, you must repeat the berachah when you return.

---

§13

Scents that emanate from objects other than the original source, such as from garments that have been perfumed, or from a vessel that contained spices and absorbed their scent, or from your hands after you handled esrogim (citrons), or other fragrant fruit, require no berachah.

---

§14

Chapter 152:8 mentions the law which states that it is forbidden to smell perfumes created for women, and Chapter 167:7 mentions the law according to which it is forbidden to smell the incense which was burned for idol worship. Needless to say, that it is forbidden to say a berachah over them.