Did you know when a couple argues they are causing a stink? If you fight with people you are causing a stink in the world. Yup fighting and all the negative energy and emotions that go with it is stinky buisness to G-d! We all have five senses. One of them is the sense of smell that came out of the Garden of Eden and is still divine in nature. Why? because it is through our nose that we experienced the Divine Presence of G-d when he breathed life into our Nostrils thus the reason the sense of smell was not involved in the sin of Adam and Chava (Eve).
We as people love to smell things. Whether it is the scent of a flower, or perfume, or freshly baked bread, we love to use these noses that G-d gave us from the Garden of Eden as a gift to help us heal ourselves. Anything that is fresh and clean is good to smell. But there are also bad smells. Smells that make us avoid certain areas or people. And even smells that can make us sick. If we really pay attention we can detect a virus before our body does.
G-d tell us that we are to be a sweet aroma unto Him when we are doing the right things through Torah and mitzvos. If you really do smell, it will be the aroma of Truth and Life to some people, and the aroma of Judgement and death to others. But the key is: do you smell and how do you smell to others? Are you giving off the odor of G-d’s love and compassion while living in his Truth as you walk through life? Or, do you stink of no truth, no love or no compassion or do you have no fragrance at all?
The truth is that the only real difference between you and an atheist is what you talk about. Atheists can pick up trash on the side of the road. An atheist can be nice to their friends. An atheist can help out when there is a disaster. What an atheist can’t do is share the truth of mitzvos, the truth of Torah, and show true chesed when someone is in spiritual crises. You can smell the truth all around you. when someone is in need you can smell it before your brain registers there is a need. That is what sets you apart from the atheist.
However one thing you do need to remember is that when you start sharing your faith in G-d by word or action and sometimes that can become very apparent and translate by the clothes you wear the actions you take but most of all by the words you speak, to some people who are lost in their sins it will be the aroma of of conviction and death, and to others it will be the aroma of life because they are either seeking G-d or already have that close relationship with G-d. Some people will like you for what you are doing and saying and some people won’t.
We Jews know this all too well when we are hated for Just being Jewish. being Jewish means you are the moral compass for what is right and for what is wrong regardless of observance. Hitler hated us for that very reason, in fact he said “we the Arian race do not need the Jews as our moral example.” Hitler obviously hated how we smelled of Torah and Mitzvos (good deeds).
The question is, are you bringing sweet aroma to the space of life where you are right now in life. Do you smell of truth? Our lingering fragrance should be one of love and kindness, not anger and harshness. Patience and faithfulness, not intolerance and selfishness. And lifting people’s spirits with joy and peace, not leaving them discouraged and broken. Our fragrance should creating goodness in the world that point to the goodness of G-d.
Each one of us can choose what fragrance we exude. It might be a good idea to ask from time to time, What type of fragrance am I leaving behind? How am I affecting the world around me with the gifts G-d gave me? Am I exuding a spiritual aroma that is a spiritual fragrant offering to G-d? When G-d created flowers, He intentionally created them to give off a sweet aroma. And He created us just the same. So, what fragrance are you wearing today?
Frankincense is said to be the truth aroma. If you break the word down you can see how one can come to this conclusion Frank (being honest and truthful) and Incense(aroma or spices). Frankincense has been used for centuries in spiritual rituals and healing is still used today. But is this the only ingredient of Truth?
There are many other romantic stories of old about this resin and oil. For example, the name Olibanum, often used in lieu of Frankincense is referring to the process of “milking” the tree for the resin and how it is the milk of healing like a mother’s milk is to her newborn baby. Frankincense is also linked to the Holy Temple of Jerusalem where it was used as a offering in the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the covenant was housed and it is one eleven ingredients the Incense of Ketoret. (see Exodus 30:22-32)
Ketoret is the transliteration of the Hebrew word קטרת, which is translated, in English, as incense. The word ketoret means bonding or connecting. Ketoret is a substance which is associated with joy, prayer, prosperity, and protection. Ketoret has 11 key ingredients.
Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Levi said: What does it mean: “His cheeks are beds of spices?” (Song of Songs 5:13) With every single utterance that came from the mouth of the Holy Blessed One, the whole world was filled with [the fragrance of] spices. And since the first utterance filled it, where did the second utterance go? The Holy Blessed One took the wind from G-d’s storehouse and brought around each [spice-aroma], one by one, as it is stated: “His lips are like lilies. They drip flowing myrrh.” (ibid.) Do not read “shoshanim” [lilies], rather “sheshonim”
In any case, every creature can sense the Fragrances of Torah, just like in: “the whole world was filled with [the fragrance of] spices” (BT Shabbat 88b). This means that even those who were unable to receive the core of Torah could absorb its good fragrance, as is the case with “one who enters a spice store” [with many spices and is required to say the blessing on smelling spice (Shulhan Arukh OH 217:1). So too, when the Holy Blessed One descended from the Heavens to give Torah to Israel, everyone received the fragrance of Torah.
It is taught that the Garden of Eden is the aroma of Torah and the aroma of Torah ingredients is revealed within its holy content called the Ketoret. What does truth Smell Like? It smells like Torah. Torah is our Ketoret our protection, prosperity, joy, and our Connection to Our G-d who is our source of life. It smells good!
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