407. HaTov VeHaMeitiv

58:14 We will see later on, in chapter 152, that it is improper for a man to smell a woman’s perfume and, in chapter 167, that one may not smell incense offered to idols. It should go without saying that one may therefore not recite a bracha over such things.

59:1 If one hears good news from a reliable source that witnessed events firsthand – and certainly if one personally witnessed the good event – he recites the bracha of shehechiyanu if the thing only benefits him and “haTov vehaMeitiv” if it benefits both himself and others. If he is unable to recite the bracha when he hears the news because he is in a place or condition that prevents him from doing so, he may recite it later. This is also true of reciting “Dayan ha’emes” on bad news. (Mishnah Brurah 223:15 cautions one to recite the bracha quickly before he becomes used to the new situation.)