The Sense of Smell and Cheshvan

We continue our discussion of the letter NUN and the month of Cheshvan as we
look ahead to Parshat Toldot, the Torah portion for next week. In the previous
two weeks we focused on different ideas about the letter Nun, and its
connection with our present month of "Mar" Cheshvan; the preciousness of things
that have fallen, declined, shattered, or diminished and their inclusion in
ultimate wholeness -- "wholiness." This week we add a new aspect to our dialogue
of the letter NUN.

In addition to each month's coming into being through a
different Hebrew letter, Kabbalistic tradition teaches us that each month in the
Jewish calendar is connected with a particular Sense that has physical and
spiritual dimensions. The month of Cheshvan is connected to the Sense of Smell.
As will be expanded in a forthcoming book by Rav Ginsburgh, the Senses of the
Soul relate to external reality by incorporating and expanding on the experience
of the body to a percetual awareness of the spiritual (with an emphasis on the
unity of creation and soul connections). The Sense of Smell is that Sense with
which the Moshiach (Messiah) will enlighten us to our spiritual path, in the
"Month of Cheshvan" and dedicate our service to G-d in the rebuiding of the
(third and) final Temple. What follows is the sources and questions that are
engaging our continued inquiry of the letter Nun, and now, the Sense of Smell.

Jacob Receives the Blessing

In Parshat Toldot we read the famous story of Jacob "deceiving" Isaac and
receiving Esau's blessing. (Beresheet, 27:18-29). This encounter troubles many readers because it seems to cast all of our heroes in such a bad light. Rebecca instigates the deception, Jacob plays it out, and Isaac seems to know at some level what is going on. Esau emerges as the wronged one and our sympathies go out to him. This incident appears to be a "NUN"
event. Our heroes have fallen. Or have they?

If we look at the verses around Isaac's attempt to know whether to bless the son who appears to him, we are given an insight into how to grasp spiritual reality, how to know what is
Really going on. With dulled physical sight, Isaac uses each of the senses that he does
have to learn the true identity of the son standing in front of him. Initially
he is confused. "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are Esau's hands."
He trusts the feel of "hairy hands" and then eats the food that Jacob has
brought. Hearing, touching, tasting --- he is just about ready to bless this
son. But, there must be some level of doubt because at the last moment Isaac
asks Jacob to "come close, if you please, and kiss me, my son." Jacob draws close
and kisses his father. Isaac "smells the fragrance of his garments and
blesses him; saying, 'See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a
field which Hashem had blessed..." And Isaac blesses Jacob. Ultimately, it is
the sense of smell that Isaac relies on and ironically he uses the exclamation
"See!" Isaac "sees" what is happening based on smell.

1. Research shows that our memory for smell is the most accurate of all of our senses.

2. Even in the vernacular we use idioms about smell to indicate getting at the essence of
something, e.g. "something smells fishy" or "I smell trouble" or "sniffing around."

3. According to Rashi, Isaac smells the Garden of Eden, "Gan Eden
(Gimel, Nun- Ayin, Dalet, Nun) when he kisses Jacob. What is the significance of that?

4. Our physical sense of smell is through our nostrils, in Hebrew a nostril is a "nechirah" (Nun,
Chet, Yud, Reish, Heh). It is through our nostrils that G-d breathed our souls, our "neshamas" (Nun, Shin, Mem, Heh) "And Hashem G-d formed the man of dust from the ground, and G-d blew into his nostrils the 'nishmat chayim' the soul of life; and man became a living being."
(Genesis 2:7) The word "neshama" is cognate to "neshima" which means breath.

5. We smell spices to comfort our souls, our "neshamas" when we make Havdalah at the end of Shabbat.

6. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch comments that when we smell something we are
smelling its smallest particles. The ingredients for the incense in Temple times were finely
ground, pulverized, obliterating the physical distinctiveness and heightening the pleasing aroma, the "rey'ach nee-choach" (Reish, Yud, Chet -Nun, Yud, Chet, Chet) of the combined mixture
(Exodus 30:34-36).

7. NUN is used at the end of nouns and adjectives to indicate that the description reflects a complete manifestation of the word, the description is the essence. For
example, we call G-d the Merciful one, "ha'rachaman" (Hey, Reish, Chet, Mem, Nun)
-- mercy is not an occasional description of G-d's actions, but rather an essential manifestation of G-d.

8. In the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the only sense
not implicated is the sense of smell. Chava (Eve) "perceived that the tree was
good for eating and that it was a delight to the eyes.... and she took of its
fruit and ate." (Genesis 3:6) Chava listens to the serpent, looks at the tree,
touches the fruit and tastes it. The sense of smell is not mentioned. (from
this we learn that the Sense of Smell is the most refined of the Senses of the
Soul).