Fragrance: The Aroma of the Torah

| Shavuot By :  Daniel Nevins 91ถถา๕ Alum (Rabbinical School), Former Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and the Division of Religious Leadership, Adjunct Assistant Professor Posted On Jun 6, 2016 / 5776 | Sound Bytes | Holidays

On Shavuot, we read that the Torah was given with thunder, lightning, smoke, shaking ground, and a shofar blast. How do we experience the Torah with all our senses today?

Song of Songs 5:13

His cheeks are like beds of spices, banks of perfume, his lips are like lilies.

ืฉื™ืจ ื”ืฉืจื™ื ื”:ื™ื’

ืœึฐื—ึธื™ึธื• ื›ึผึทืขึฒืจื•ึผื’ึทืช ื”ึทื‘ึผึนืฉื‚ึถื ืžึดื’ึฐื“ึผึฐืœื•ึนืช ืžึถืจึฐืงึธื—ึดื™ื ืฉื‚ึดืคึฐืชื•ึนืชึธื™ื• ืฉืื•ึนืฉืึทื ึผึดื™ื ื ึนื˜ึฐืคื•ึนืช ืžื•ึนืจ ืขึนื‘ึตืจ:

BT Shabbat 88b

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 God’s storehouse and brought around each [fragrance], one by one, as it is stated: “His lips are like lilies. They drip flowing myrrh.” (ibid.) Do not read “shoshanim” [lilies], rather “sheshonim” [repeat].

ืชืœืžื•ื“ ื‘ื‘ืœื™ ืฉื‘ืช ืคื— ื‘

ื•ืืžืจ ืจื‘ื™ ื™ื”ื•ืฉืข ื‘ืŸ ืœื•ื™: ืžืื™ ื“ื›ืชื™ื‘ ืœื—ื™ื• ื›ืขืจื•ื’ืช ื”ื‘ืฉื – ื›ืœ ื“ื‘ื•ืจ ื•ื“ื‘ื•ืจ ืฉื™ืฆื ืžืคื™ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื ื ืชืžืœื ื›ืœ ื”ืขื•ืœื ื›ื•ืœื• ื‘ืฉืžื™ื. ื•ื›ื™ื•ืŸ ืฉืžื“ื™ื‘ื•ืจ ืจืืฉื•ืŸ ื ืชืžืœื, – ื“ื™ื‘ื•ืจ ืฉื ื™ ืœื”ื™ื›ืŸ ื”ืœืš? – ื”ื•ืฆื™ื ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื ื”ืจื•ื— ืžืื•ืฆืจื•ืชื™ื•, ื•ื”ื™ื” ืžืขื‘ื™ืจ ืจืืฉื•ืŸ ืจืืฉื•ืŸ, ืฉื ืืžืจ ืฉืคืชื•ืชื™ื• ืฉื•ืฉื ื™ื ื ื•ื˜ืคื•ืช ืžื•ืจ ืขื‘ืจ, ืืœ ืชืงืจื™ ืฉื•ืฉื ื™ื ืืœื ืฉืฉื•ื ื™ื.

Sefat Emet on Bemidbar / Shavuot

In any case, every creature can sense the frangrance 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 to give Torah to Israel, everyone received the fragrance of Torah.

ืฉืคืช ืืžืช ื‘ืžื“ื‘ืจ – ืฉื‘ื•ืขื•ืช

ื•ืžืžื™ืœื ื”ืจื’ื™ืฉื• ื›ืœ ื”ื‘ืจื•ืื™ื ืจื™ื— ืชื•ืจื” ื›ื“ืื™ืชื ืฉื ืชืžืœื ื”ืขื•ืœื ื›ื•ืœื• ื‘ืฉืžื™ื ืคื™’ ืืคื™ืœื• ืžื™ ืฉืœื ื”ื™’ ื™ื›ื•ืœ ืœืงื‘ืœ ืขื™ืงืจ ืชื•ืจื” ืจื™ื— ื˜ื•ื‘ ืงืœื˜ ื›ื“ืื™ืชื ื”ื ื›ื ืก ืœื—ื ื•ืชื• ืฉืœ ื‘ื•ืฉื ื›ื•’. ื›ืžื• ื›ืŸ ื›ืฉื™ืจื“ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื ืœื™ืชืŸ ืชื•ืจื” ืœื™ืฉืจืืœ ืงื‘ืœื• ื›ื•ืœื ืจื™ื— ืชื•ืจื”.