Once you’ve made a blessing over a spice, you can only say another blessing on that same spice if you’ve decided to stop smelling it and then changed your mind. If you intended to keep smelling it, you don’t need to say the blessing again, even if you’ve left the room. However, if a significant amount of time has passed, a new blessing is required.1

Different types of fragrances require different blessings (see below), so you can make a new blessing for each type of fragrance you enjoy. Additionally, if you didn’t plan to smell certain fragrances within the same class as the fragrance you’ve just enjoyed, you should repeat the blessing when you do decide to smell it. So, for example, if you just smelled some sweet herbs and said the appropriate blessing and your friend came over holding some other herbs, which you did not know he would bring, you should make the blessing again before smelling his herbs—even though it is a repeat of the blessing you just said..2

The Five Blessings Over Fragrances

As mentioned, there are specific blessings for different types of fragrances, just as there are blessings for food. However, there are no after-blessings for smells. The five blessings are:3

Baruch Atah A-donai, Elo-heinu Melech ha-olam …

  • For pleasant-smelling fruits or foods that are smelled intentionally:
    …hanotein rei’ach tov bapeirot
    …    Who gives pleasant fragrance to fruits.
  • For other fragrant substances that grow on trees:
    … borei atzei besamim
    … Who creates fragrant trees.
  • For fragrant substances that grow from the ground:
    … borei isbei besamim
    … Who creates fragrant grasses.
  • For substances that don’t grow on trees or the ground, like mushrooms, or for general/mixed fragrances:4
    … borei minei besamim
    … Who creates various kinds of spices.
  • For balsam and balsam oil, which are particularly esteemed in Israel:
    … borei shemen areiv
    … Who creates fragrant oil.5