The Jerusalem Talmud
משנה: מֵאַיִין הָיוּ מוֹדְדִין. רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר מִטִּיבּוּרוֹ. רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר מֵחוֹטְמוֹ. רִבִּי אֱלִיעזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר מִמְּקוֹם שֶׁנַעֲשֶׂה חָלָל מִצַּוָּארוֹ.
MISHNAH: From where did they measure? Rebbi Eliezer says, from his navel. Rebbi Aqiba says, from his nose. Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob said, from the place which makes him slain, from his neck.
הלכה: וּמֵאַיִין הָיוּ מוֹדְדִין. רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר מִטִּיבּוּרוֹ. מִמְּקוֹם שֶׁהַוְולָד נוֹצָר. רַבַּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר מֵחוֹטְמוֹ. מִמְּקוֹם הַכָּרַת פָּנִים. וָאַתְיָיא כַּיי דָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה בְשֵׁם רַב. הַכָּרַת פְּנֵיהֶם עָנְתָה בָם. זֶה הַחוֹטֶם. אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָיא בַּר בָּא. מָאן דְבָעֵי דְלָא מִתְחַכְּמָה יְהַב סִיפְּלָנִי עַל נְחִירֵיהּ וְהוּא לָא מִתְחַכֵּם. כְּהָדָא בְּיוֹמוֹי דְאֻרְסִקִּינָס מַלְכָּא הֲווֹן צִפּוֹרָאֵי מִתְבָּעיָין. וַהֲווֹן יְהָבִין סְיפְּלֵינִי עַל נְחִירֵיהוֹן וְלָא מִתְחַכְּמִין. וּבְסוֹפָא אִיתְמַר עֲלֵיהוֹן לִישָׁן בִּישׁ. וְאִתְצַיְּדוֹן כּוּלְּהוֹן מִן בִּידָא.
HALAKHAH: “From where did they measure? Rebbi Eliezer says, from his navel”, from the place the child is formed. “Rebbi Aqiba says, from his nose,” from the place from which one is identified. This follows what Rav Jehudah said in the name of Rav: “The recognition of their faces testified about them,” that is the nose. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, if somebody does not want to be recognized, he should put a patch on his nostrils, then he will not be recognized. As in the following: In the times of king Ursicinus, some people from Sepphoris were under arrest warrants. They put patches on their nostrils and were not recognized. Finally they were denunciated and all were caught because of lies.
רִבִּי אֱלִיעזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר מִמְּקוֹם שֶׁנַעֲשֶׂה חָלָל מִצַּוָָּארוֹ. מַה טַעֲמָא. רִבִּי סִימוֹן בְשֶׁם רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ [בֶּן לֵוִי]. לָתֵת אוֹתָהּ עַל צַוְארֵי חַלְלֵי רְשָׁעִים.
“Rebbi Eliezer ben Jacob said, from the place which makes him slain, from his neck.” What is the reason? Rebbi Simon in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: “To put you on the throats of the corpses of sinners.”