Commentaire sur Sotah 9:4

ר:א אומר מטיבורו – he holds that the real life is in his navel.

Introduction In today’s mishnah we learn from what part of the body they would measure in order to determine the closest city.

ר' עקיבא אומר מחוטמו – real life is from his nose (cessation of breath from the nostrils is the main sign of death – see Talmud Yoma 85a), as it is written (Genesis 7:22): “All in whose nostrils was the merest breath of life.”

From what part [of the body] do they measure? Rabbi Eliezer says: from the navel. Rabbi Akiva says: from the nose. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says: from the place where he was made a slain person, from the neck. Rabbi Eliezer’s and Rabbi Akiva’s opinion directly parallel their opinions in yesterday’s mishnah. Rabbi Eliezer said that the head is brought to the body, and here he says that the distance is measured from the center of the body, from the navel. Rabbi Akiva said that the body is brought to the head, and here he says that it is measured from the center of the head, from the nose. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob determines the point from where we measure using another principle. A person’s life blood was considered to be in his neck. This can be observed by the fact that slicing a person’s neck causes them to die much quicker than slicing a leg or arm. Since the life-giving blood is found in the neck, the distance to the city is measured from that point.

מקום שנעשה חלל מצוארו – it is not called slain, other than from the neck, as it is written (Ezekiel 21:34): “you shall be wielded over the necks of the dishonored withed ones.” Therefore, from it (i.e., the neck) they would measure, as it is written (Deuteronomy 21:3): “[The elders of the town nearest] to the corpse,” But the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiva.