עברית
Prayer and Blessings
What blessing to recite over the scent of essential oil?
Question
What should one bless when smelling essential oils such as lavender and the like? I heard that one should recite "Borei Shemen Arev," but someone told me that one only blesses over sweet-smelling spices and not over every oil, and this is a dispute among the Rishonim. I would like to know what the halacha is regarding this blessing? If possible, I would appreciate a source and reasoning. Thank you very much.
Answer
Hello, Regarding natural scents that do not result from the addition of chemical substances, one should recite the blessing of “Borei Minei Besamim.” The text of the blessing depends on the type of plant from which the oil is extracted, and this will determine whether its blessing is “Borei Etzei Besamim” or “Borei Issvei Besamim.” Therefore, for essential oil derived from lavender, one should recite “Borei Etzei Besamim.”
