Community Magazine August 2019

88 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Exploring the Mysteries of the Animal Kingdom Torah When the Meraglim returned from spying out Eretz Yisrael, they gave a frightening description of the land. The Jews accepted the lashon hara , and were punished by having to wander in the desert for forty years. Most of the journey of the Meraglim occurred during the month of Tammuz. What is the connection between Tammuz and the Meraglim ? Each month of the year corresponds to one of the twelve shevatim. Tammuz corresponds to Shevet Reuven, whose name comes from the word re’eh, which means to see. This hints to the fact that Tammuz is connected to the power of sight. How do we understand this connection? Every month has a mazal , a specific sign in the constellation. Sartan , the crab, is the mazal for the month of Tammuz. The largest crab is the Japanese spider crab. Its leg span can reach up to thirteen feet from claw to claw! Crabs live in muddy and murky environments where visibility is poor, so they were created with very sharp eyesight to be able to spot predators from all directions and to locate their prey. One of the distinguishing features of the crab is their eyestalks ; their eyes are on stalks (thin supporting structures on their bodies). These eyestalks help the crab see while hiding under water, mud, rocks, or sand. The eyestalk is a long protrusion that extends the eye away from the crab’s body, giving the eye a better field of vision. Eyestalks can move in different directions and allow the crab to monitor their surroundings. The crab’s eyes can move and function independently of each other on their individual stalks. Crabs are also able to extend or draw in their eyestalks at will. For example, if a crab feels threatened, it will fold down its eyestalks into grooves in its carapace (protective shell), allowing the creature to scramble away into a hiding place without damaging the eyestalks. Why Do Crabs Have Eyes on Stalks? Super Crab