Project to do for Yom Kippur

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Teachers are always looking for a project to do with their students, and parents can do this with their children. 

Besamim kits for Yom Kippur 

Why Besamim kits for Yom Kippur? 

There is a tradition to say 100 blessings every day. This is easy to do on a regular weekday when we are already obligated to say around 90 blessings in our prayers. Part of that is the Amida, in which we say 19, and there are 3 of those every day, but on Shabbos and Yom Tov there are only 7 blessings in the Amida, and even though there is a 4th Amida, we are left with a big deficit. 

How do we make up the quota? The blessings that we say around the meals help. However on Yom Kippur we don't eat, so how are you going to make up the quota? These Besamim kits will help you get there. And you can use them on Shabbos and Yom Tov too. 

Also there are several spices from the Ketores which was a central service on Yom Kippur. 

You can use this as a tool to teach them about the Ketores, that we say a blessing over things that smell good and that we have a custom to say 100 blessings a day. 

There are four different blessings that we can say. 

Over fruit, whether it grows on a tree or from the ground. Asher Nosan Reiach Tov Bapeiros. 

 

Over everything else that grows from a tree. Borei Atzei Besamim. 

Over everything else that grows from the ground. Borei Isvei Besamim. 

 

Over everything else. Borei Minei Besamim. 

The idea is to get the four bottles of spices, clearly labeled with the blessings, and in a zip lock bag, in order that the whole family can enjoy it over Yom Kippur. 

I have done most of the work for you. 

I make them for shuls in my area and I always get positive feedback. 

Shopping list. Links to all the things I use. Spices, bottles, etc.   

Instructions 

Labels. 

Information Sheet.to go with the Besamim kits. 

Laws of blessings on aromatics, by my brother Dovid . I print it on the other side of the information Sheet.     

 

Examples of things you can use. 

For Asher Nosan Reiach Tov Bapeiros. Dried fruit that smell good. For example, coffee, coconut, apple, pineapple, banana and guava. 

For Borei Atzei Besamim. Dried flowers, leaves, needles, bark, resin and roots that smell good. For example, roses, rosemary, myrtle, frankincense, Mastic and spikenard. 

For Borei Isvei Besamim. Dried Chamomile, mint, peppermint, spearmint, fennel, and Orris. 

For Borei Minei Besamim. Cloves, Cinnamon, lemon essential oil, musk, and Candy Cap Mushroom. 

Why dried? Because otherwise it will rot. 

You can do something simple like coffee, rosemary, mint, and Cinnamon. Most people have that in their pantry. For mint, you can use mint tea. And Cinnamon was in the Ketores. 

From feedback we can tell you that coffee, myrtle, spearmint, and lemon essential oil wakes people up and therefore most appreciated. With coffee, and spearmint being the favorites.