Determining Jewish Status Based on Facial Features
Question
The Talmud Yerushalmi Yevamot 16:3 mentions an idea of using one’s facial features, such as their nose, to determine who they are. Are there any poskim who use this sugyah in the Gemara to pasken Halacha Lemaaseh that you can determine one’s status as Jewish or not based on their facial features/nose?
Answers
No. The Yerushalmi is referring to identifying a dead body; it is not referring to establishing someone’s Jewish status. In truth, facial features cannot be used to establish if someone is Jewish or not because each person has two parents and they can “inherit” their features from either parent, which means that a person may be a carbon copy of their Jewish father despite having a non-Jewish mother. As well as that, I am not sure that it is possible to define what are “Jewish features.” A big hooked nose? Dark beady eyes?
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