Take a deep breath . . . and smell more than wine!
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ShareBerachot 43b
"What is it that provides pleasure for the soul, but not for the body? Fragrant smells!"
"What is it that provides pleasure for the soul, but not for the body? Fragrant smells!"
Rabbi Levi Cooper, Pardes Institute
Fragrances do not enter the body in a tangible form like food or drink. There is no organ that is satiated by a scent. We sense a fragrance deep in our innards.
Fragrances do not enter the body in a tangible form like food or drink. There is no organ that is satiated by a scent. We sense a fragrance deep in our innards.
Genesis 2:7
“And God formed the human out of the dust of the ground and breathed into its nostrils the breath of life and the human became a living soul.”
“And God formed the human out of the dust of the ground and breathed into its nostrils the breath of life and the human became a living soul.”
Rabbi Levi Cooper, Pardes Institute
The same orifice used for appreciating smells was the channel of entry for the divine soul to animate the physical form. We are opening an olfactory window into our souls, getting a whiff of a spiritual existence and enjoying an aromatic trace of divine sustenance.
The same orifice used for appreciating smells was the channel of entry for the divine soul to animate the physical form. We are opening an olfactory window into our souls, getting a whiff of a spiritual existence and enjoying an aromatic trace of divine sustenance.
In the Garden of Eden, sight, touch, taste and hearing are mentioned. Only the sense of smell is missing from the story. It appears that the sense of smell was not tainted in the Garden of Eden and remained in its original pure state, unsullied by sin. Thus the spiritual purity of scent is appropriate nourishment for the soul.
Rabbi Yehiel Michel Halevi Epstein, Belarus, 19th century
The Hebrew word for smell – reiach – has the same root as the word ruchani, meaning spiritual.
The Hebrew word for smell – reiach – has the same root as the word ruchani, meaning spiritual.
Rabbi Avraham Chaim Shur, “Toras Chaim,” Ukraine, 17th century
Shabbat gives us a taste of the Olam Haba, the World to Come, and the wine we enjoy on Shabbat is meant to represent the wine that will be served there. In the Next World,
although there is no physical food or drink, there is a concept of pleasant fragrances. Therefore, to remind us of the sweet scent of the World to Come, we are careful to use only wine that has a pleasant aroma. (So the ideal, ultimate wine has only fragrance!)
Shabbat gives us a taste of the Olam Haba, the World to Come, and the wine we enjoy on Shabbat is meant to represent the wine that will be served there. In the Next World,
although there is no physical food or drink, there is a concept of pleasant fragrances. Therefore, to remind us of the sweet scent of the World to Come, we are careful to use only wine that has a pleasant aroma. (So the ideal, ultimate wine has only fragrance!)
In the Jewish mystical tradition of Gematria, the Hebrew letters for "yayin" (wine) add up to 70. So do the letters for "sod" (secret). The traditional commentary is that this means if you drink too much, you will reveal too many secrets. But might it also mean that within each glass of wine there is something secret, something hidden, something that as we inhale deeply, we are challenged to discover and appreciate?
• Is the aroma or bouquet of a good wine a pleasant experience? If so, why? What do you get out of it? What does it do for you? What do you feel when you smell it?
• What is lost if you immediately drink the wine without first smelling it? What do you miss out on?
• Can you sometimes smell something in the bouquet that you don’t taste in the wine? Can you think of an example?
• What is lost if you immediately drink the wine without first smelling it? What do you miss out on?
• Can you sometimes smell something in the bouquet that you don’t taste in the wine? Can you think of an example?