3,304. Is This Man Presumed to Be Dead?

Terumos 9:2

Those in a city under siege, on a ship in danger of sinking and on trial for capital crimes have a presumption of still being alive; all the more so this is true of a person who goes on a trip by caravan. However, if a city is captured by the enemy, a ship is lost at sea, or the accused was being brought out for be execution by the secular authorities, or if someone was dragged away by a wild animal, if a landslide fell on him or if he was swept away by a river, then we apply both the stringencies that would apply if that person is still alive and the stringencies that would apply if that person is dead. If there’s the daughter of a kohein married to a Yisroel or the daughter of Yisroel married to a kohein, neither of them may eat terumah. If someone was taken to the place of execution by a Jewish court, he is presumed to be dead, so his wife (if he’s a kohein) may not eat terumah.

Terumos 9:3

If a woman left her husband dying in another land, she may not eat terumah. This is the case regardless of whether she’s the daughter of a kohein married to a Yisroel or the daughter of a Yisroel married to a kohein. This is because most dying people actually die. If one witness testifies that a man died and another testifies that he didn’t, his wife may not eat terumah.