Why Do We Smell Spices at a Brit Milah?
What role do fragrance and beauty play in a ceremony that also involves pain?
The unit explores the custom of smelling spices at a brit milah and the symbolic contrast between pain and fragrance. The sources use scent as an image of comfort, hope and the future good associated with a difficult moment. More broadly, the discussion asks how Jewish ritual can hold two truths at once: seriousness and joy, bodily discomfort and spiritual beauty.