Traditionally, The Garden of Eden is said to have a most delightful fragrance; and according to the rabbis, pleasant scents are inherently spiritual, giving delight to the soul and opening the mind. So by having spices on the table as you study Torah, you can use your sporadic awareness of them to turn your mind to the Garden of Eden, thinking of how this lovely fragrance comes from the Shechinah, and thereby encouraging your own consciousness of being in the Garden of Eden where everything reveals God's presence.

Yitzhak Buxbaum in Jewish Spiritual Practices