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Those smelling powders (or whatever they are called) that I’ve seen in many shuls on Yom Kippur…
1) What are they?
2) What do they do?
3) What are they called?
4) Where do you get them?
5) Do you need to make a Borei Minei Besamim on them?
They usually come in a small round container and it is a very fine powder. They guys that have them, usually bring a bunch of different “flavors”.
1-4: Dunno.
5: Yes.
It’s snuff or smelling tobacco. No Bracha. (Shmeck Taback)
Either they buy smelling tobacco here in the US or they get it from EY (Some Seforim stores import it) where it’s quite common.
Health: Why no Bracha?
its called snuff and it comes in many flavors. most people say you must make borei minei bisumim. people smell it on fast days to fullfil the requirement of making 100 brochos a day (since we cant eat we make less brochos). you can buy them online…search “snuff” on google. i know that snuff was used back in europe, in all the shtiebels….hope i was a help! 🙂
You can purchase them in Judaica stores for about $10-$15 a small Pushka.
u cud get them for like $7…they’re cheap and come in various flaors…i smelt banana, cherry pop, supermint, chocolate mint, apricot, blueberry, strawberry…
Growing -“most people say you must make borei minei bisumim.”
Name one Poisek who says to make a Bracha. Naarish. You would make an Isvei Besomin on tobacco, but tobacco doesn’t smell. So no Bracha, unless You make a Bracha on perfume!
Dr. Seuss -“And what does it accomplish by smelling them on Yom Kippur?”
It keeps you or wakes you up! Same with the ammonia smelling salts.
Why no Bracha?
Because the smell doesn’t come from the tobacco.
Dr. Seuss – It’s probably both, but if you just smell it on YK it shouldn’t be a problem.
Ever see what looks like cloves stuck into a lemon?
am yisrael chai – They usually put it in a Esthrog and people make a Bracha on it.
“smelt banana”
ok a strange flavor combo but after all it is yom KIPPER
ok, Goq, I forgave you for LAST YEAR makin’ my stomach hurt from all your jokes…you’re up to a NEW ledger now…
ok a strange flavor combo but after all it is yom KIPPER
Luckily I’ve never had kipper scented snuff.
Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oils are another option to smell on a Fast Day, except I don’t know the Bracha to say on either Lavender or Peppermint Oils. Both Essential Oils are relaxing and would help ease the Fast. I have personally used Lavender Essential Oil (for Yom Kippur) and other people liked smelling the scent.
Yeech! $10-$15 for a schmeck tabak? We pay $3 or less here in Ukraine where you can get it at any tobacconist. I guess it is taxed like cigarettes in the US.
The odor is artificial. A friend of a friend of mine in EY makes and sells his own and one Shabbos when I met him he confirmed to me what I already knew – he treats ground tobacco with chemical extracts to create the odor. Absolutely no brocho required.
Why would artificial odors not require a Borei Minei Besamim?
Sam2:Rav Shlomo Zalamn is quoted in shmiras shabbos khilchasa that one does not make a bracha on synthetics.
Do you make a borei minei besomim on air freshener? For that matter, if you sniff a bottle of arak, do you make a brocho? Besomim refers to fragrant spices (minei) or herbs (isvei).
Maybe if natural cinnamon or cloves are used to scent tobacco there might be an issue. But that isn’t the case; an extract is used.
Sam2 -Two reasons: (Maybe only one.)
From Halachafortoday:
“1) There are a few conditions that must be met before a scent will require a Bracha before smelling it, details of which we will now begin discussing.
A Bracha is only recited over a scent that has a tangible source (referred to in halacha as Yesh Bo Ikar). In other words, the item that is being smelled must be the item that is emitting the scent. (Shulchan Aruch Siman 217:3)
Therefore, an article of clothing, a food, or a utensil that was near something that has a scent and absorbed the scent does not require a Bracha when one smells the scent on the clothing, food or utensil. If one recites a Bracha on such an item it is a Bracha L’Vatala (See Mishna Berura 217:15)
2) Man-made scents that are not natural, and are manufactured synthetically, is a subject of debate amongst the Poskim if a Bracha is required, thus, due to the rule of Safek Brachos L’Hakel (whenever it is a question if a Bracha is required, we rule to not say a Bracha, in order not to say Hashem’s name in vain Chas V’Shalom) no Bracha would be recited on such a scent.
Thus, most of the perfumes, colognes, body sprays etc. that are on the market today would not require a Bracha as they are produced synthetically to acquire a certain smell, and aren’t naturally fragrant. (See Shmiras Shabbos K’Hilchasa Perek 61:12 and footnote 232 quoting Rav Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach Zatzal. It is important to note that even natural perfumes that would require a Bracha would only require it when smelling it in the bottle, and not when smelling it after it is already applied to a person[on whom it is permissible to smell], as it would then be considered “Rayach Sh’Ain Bo Ikar”. See also Shu”t Ohr L’Tzion Perek 46:54 and Shu”t Avnei Yashfeh Vol. 2 Siman 16)
Potpourri (which is basically flower petals, bark and other materials which have no intrinsic smells, and are sprayed with perfumes and other synthetic smells) does not require a Bracha when being smelled as it isn’t naturally fragrant.”
Sam2: If you insist, you can make an artificial brocho.
sam2- gei leirn. ooo shtuch burn major
AYC – I know people who do that with their esrogim after Succos and use that for their besomim at havdalah. Thanks for reminding me. I always wanted to get my girls to do that -what else can I do with 4 esrogim. Don’t suggest jam since there’s never time to make such a thing and no one would eat it, but besomim, why not?
The Magen Avraham and other Achronim discuss whether it is permissible to use these smokeless tobacco products in shul and on fast days. They generally conclude it is permissible.
I just googled these snuffs and found sellers in the UK that can ship it to the US that sell it for about $3 each (and shipping is under $6).
Which posek says you make a bracha on it?
Don’t think there is one.
That’s news to me. I always would have assumed that you make a Bracha. Did HKBH not create the synthetic aromas as well? I’ll look at R’ Shlomo Zalman’s piece B”N but I don’t understand it yet.
“Did HKBH not create the synthetic aromas as well?”
So you believe there’s a bracha on perfume as well?
You can get them for about $5 a “pushka” at any tobacconist or minimart. I guess they’re a lot more expensive in sefarim stores. If you’re willing to pay through the nose (pun intended) you can get natural snuff that either smells like tobacco or has actual “essential oils” mixed in.
Nechomah: If your husband drinks (or if he doesn’t but he lets your sons) you can make Esrog vodka. You buy a bottle, cut the esrogim up and leave them in until purim, when you drink the vodka. One esrog per .75 litre bottle. Or, if you’re adventurous, you can eat them raw.
Also if the odor is to get rid of a bad smell(deodorant) then no bracha is made.
sam2: it’s a ??? ???? ?? ???. see Shulchan Aruch OC 217, especially Seif 3.
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