Sense of Smell from Creation
וַיִּיצֶר יי אֱלֹקִים אֶת־הָֽאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים וַֽיְהִי הָֽאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃
“HaShem Elokim formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Genesis 2:7
Where does the Breath of Life enter? Into the nostrils! In Lamentations, it reveals the secret of the Breath of Life:
רוּחַ אַפֵּינוּ מְשִׁיחַ יי
“The breath of our nostrils, the Messiah of Hashem, was taken in their pits; Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.”
Lamentations 4:20
The breath of our nostrils is the Messiah! The Mashiach is the one who resurrects the dead. Chaim Kramer, of the Breslov Research Institute writes,
“Mashiach is represented by the “nose,” our source of life and breath. . . As long as we breathe the breath of hope – the breath of prayer and reliance upon G-d – there is hope that Mashiach will come and fully purify our lives. The verse states (Lamentations 4:2), “The breath of our nostrils [is] the Mashiach of G-d.”
Mashiach, Who, What Why, How Where, When, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute, pg. 71
Amazingly, the breath breathed into Adam occurred on Rosh HaShanah, the day of Resurrection:
“Man becomes a living, sentient being when G-d breathes His breath into him, transforming him from physical matter into a living hybrid of the physical and spiritual. When we blow the shofar on the day of Man’s creation, it serves as a memorial to that first breath, the divine breath of life blown at the dawn of Creation, on Rosh Hashana.”Aish.com, M’oray HaAish, R. Ari Kahn: The Sound of the Shofar
Chaim Kramer then makes an astonishing statement:
“…just as breathing sustains each person, whether one is conscious of it or not, so too, Mashiach, the world’s ultimate rectification, has sustained the world from its inception, whether we are conscious of it or not.”
Mashiach, Who, What Why, How Where, When, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute, pg. 44
Just as prayer links to the incense, Kramer notes,
“Mashiach will “breathe the fear of G-d,” since his soul is rooted in the place of breathing, the nose. And this “nose,” the source of life of the Mashiach, alludes to prayer. Rebbe Nachman thus taught: Mashiach’s main weapon is prayer…” Thus prayer is represented by the nose. And the nose is breathing, life itself.”
Mashiach, Who, What Why, How Where, When, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute, pg. 42
He continues,
“…[Mashiach’s] “breathing” will have a very positive effect upon mankind. . . The breath that Mashiach will breathe will emanate from the Torah and its 613 mitzvot. This is “The spirit of G-d [that] hovered over the waters.” The spirit is Mashiach and the waters are the Torah. Mashiach’s spirit is embedded in the Torah and he will draw his breath, the awe of G-d, from it. With this spirit, he will be able to “breathe into others” filing them with an awe and respect for G-d.”
Mashiach, Who, What, Why, How, Where, When, Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute, pg.63
HAVDALAH
At the end of Shabbat, there is a service called הַבְדָּלָה Havdalah, which means “separation”. It sets the Shabbat apart from the ordinary days of the week. A braided Candle, a Kiddush Cup, and a box of Spices, called besamim in Hebrew.
Our Rabbi have made an interesting observation about Havdalah, noting that, “All the senses are used in blessing the wine, the light of a special candle and smelling spices.”
As we see the Light
Feel the heat,
Taste the wine,
And smell the spices,
We hear the blessing…
ברוך אתה יי אלוקינו מלך העולם בורא מיני בשמים
“Barukh ata HaShem Elokeinu melekh ha‑olam, borei minei b’samim.”
“Blessed are you, HaShem our G-d, King of the Universe,
who creates the species of fragrances.”
Growing up, my Bubbie (Jewish grandmother) and mother taught me a saying, “Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” The prophet Isaiah,
“A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of Hashem will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight (וַהֲרִיחֹו) will be in the fear of Hashem. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears…”
Isaiah 11:1-3
Rabbi Nachman of Breslav points out various sources in which the Moshiach is associated with the sense of smell. Yirmiyahu refers to the Moshiach as the “breath of our noses” (Eichah 4:24). And the word “Moshiach” itself means literally “anointed”, referring to the fragrant oil used to anoint the kings of Israel. So one sign of the true Moshiach is that he will be able to “smell and judge” – to determine the guilt and innocence of defendants by directly sensing their inner nature (Sanhedrin 93b).
Moshiach is above what is seen and what is heard. So often we may judge a person by there personal appearance or what family there from. Perhaps were easily swayed by rumors or what is heard. Ru’ach [spirit] and rei’ach [scent] have amazing similarities. There is a mysterious interplay between the two.
Moshiach can scent the spirit of an individual. Each person has a unique scent to their being. A dog can tell it’s master just by the scent. Just as each one has a different scent so also a different spirit. Moshiach has G-d given senses that are above Halacha and our ability to understand.
The term Yericho (Jericho) derives from the word rei’ach (smell), and alludes to Moshiach of whom it is said “veharicho b’yiras Hashem – in the fear of G-d..” (Isaiah 11:3): that is, Moshiach is called “mari’ach veda’in – he is able to judge a person by merely “smelling” him.” (Sanhedrin 93b).
Soon we will be able to greet the Moshiach, who will instantly and perfectly perceive the spiritual aspect of everything, and transmit his knowledge to mankind. This is one reason why we make a special point of blessing on spices as Shabbat goes out (Havdallah ceremony). Then we have a heightened expectation of greeting Eliyahu who will herald the arrival of Moshiach (Likutei Halakhot, Laws of blessings on Smell).
The verse “All the soul shall praise G-d” (Tehillim 150:6) teaches us that there is a praise of G-d which belongs to the soul alone. The Talmud asks, “What is it that provides enjoyment for the soul, but not for the body? Fragrance” (Berakhot 43b).
At the simplest level, the statement that smell benefits the soul and not the body means that smell does not fulfill any bodily need and does not become part of the body – unlike food and drink. For this reason, we could think that it is not a real or substantial enjoyment, and does not require a blessing. That is why a Biblical source (or hint) for the obligation is required.
This means that the sense of smell has the ability to create a certain response in our brain prior to our logical consideration. Often this response comes in the form of a memory, or a strong emotional response to a certain aroma. Hashem made use of His beautiful design to engage klal Yisroel in Tefilla and worship through the sense of smell.
We must also understand that we must care for our bodies. “It is meritorious to anoint our bodies for healing because our bodies are a miniature image of the Holy Temple”. If we do not take care of our body’s Temple then we have a hint in Lev 26:31 “And I will… bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.”
Hashem commands Moshe to use a blend of essential oils to make what would be called “Holy Anointing Oil.” This blend of oils was used to anoint almost every holy vessel in the Tabernacle, and it was used to anoint priests. Hashem was very specific that it was not to be used on any person, other than a priest; and, it was not to be used for common purposes. But that does not mean we cannot use the plant essences of G-d’s creation to anoint our bodies to be healed so that we may live a life to fill the world with His Torah and perform His Mitzvos.
Every time Klal Yisroel gathered to worship. the aroma of Holy Ketoret and the Holy anointing oil would fill the people gathering. Hashem had a very specific purpose in doing this. He was teaching the nation of Israel that this aroma was the aroma or worship. This concept is a difficult one for us to grasp. But, the sense of smell has a very powerful effect on the brain. Of the five senses, the sense of smell is the only one that is processed through the emotional part of the brain before it goes through the logical part of the brain.
This Holy aroma, as much as sacrifices, laws, and rituals, was a part of Jewish Temple corporate worship. It was the part of our worship that engaged the sense of smell. Because the scent passed through the emotional seat of the brain, the activities of worship were reinforced! The ability to experience the sense of smell is an amazing blessing from G-d. The fact that He can use our sense of smell to draw us nearer to Him is yet another example of His amazing love poured out on us like oil of sweet Myrrh and Frankincense.
THE KETORET
The Ketoret, or Incense, was a powerful aromatic aspect of the Temple service. It must have had an wonderful scent, as there is an explicit command in the Torah not to use it for perfume.
“The incense which you shall make, according to its composition you shall not make for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for Hashem. Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
Exodus 30:37-38
Consisting of eleven ingredients, its scent was extremely powerful according to ancient accounts,
“The goats in Jericho used to sneeze because of the odour of the incense. The women in Jericho did not have to perfume themselves, because of the odour of the incense. The bride in Jerusalem did not have to perfume herself because of the odour of the incense.”
Yoma 39b, Talmud
All of Jerusalem was a fragrant aroma to HaShem affecting the entire atmosphere. Amazingly, the Torah compares the incense to prayer,
“Let my prayer be set before you like ketoret (incense), the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.”
Psalms 141:2
Resources for this article
- Likutei Halakhot, Laws of blessings on Smell.
- Sanhedrin 93b
- Eichah 4:24. (Lamentations)
- Tehillim 150:6 (Psalms)
- Berakhot 43b
- Yishyahu 11:3 (Isaiah)
- Leviticus 26:31
- Rabbi Asher Meir is the author of the book Meaning in Mitzvot, distributed by Feldheim. The book provides insights into the inner meaning of our daily practices, following the order of the 221 chapters of the Kitzur Shulchan Arukh.
