Modern scientific research continuously reveals marvels of
Hashem's Creation. A new research study partly funded by the
National Geographic Society, reviewed in the National
Geographic Magazine of Oct. 11, 2005 and published in
detail in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, presents us with an additional glimpse into the
miraculous wisdom displayed in every detail of nature, and
how HaKodosh Boruch Hu provides for every one of His
creatures, "from the huge re'em to tiny lice"
(Avodoh Zorah 3b).
This recent research study presents astonishing news about
the dining choices of the Eastern African Evarcha
culicivora. "Like Count Dracula and his real-life
vampire bat counterparts, this small jumping spider has a
taste for blood," writes Jennifer Viegas in Discovery
News. The Evarcha culicivora is a species of
jumping spider (a less than a centimeter-and-a-half long
salticide, one of some five thousand species). It stalks a
mosquito (like a cat) instead of trapping it in a web, and
then pounces either on top or underneath it before taking a
bite. The strike takes less than 0.04 second. Its acute
eyesight (it has eyes that support high-acuity
vision—the Evarcha has six to eight eyes) and its sense
of smell help it seek out female mosquitoes of the mosquito
Anopheles gambiae, a notorious blood-sucker that is
the main carrier of malaria in Africa, which have just gorged
themselves on a victim's blood.
Preliminary work by the group also suggests that the
preference is innate, since tests on lab-reared spiders that
had never tasted blood yielded similar results. Since this
vampire spider cannot itself pierce skin and sip blood, it
instead feeds on blood indirectly.
"They can make decisions and plan ahead," Dr. Simon Pollard a
researcher of Canterbury University of New Zealand, said.
"These spiders have the predatory nature to rival that of a
small mammal, and show evidence of complex behavior such as
making decisions."
This blood-hungry spider is found only around Lake Victoria
in Kenya and Uganda, and usually hunts insects on tree trunks
and buildings. Dr. Ximena Nelson, the study co- author,
conducted a food preference test and proved that even when
using sight alone or smell alone, the Evarcha almost always
chose for prey the blood-engorged females (and not males that
do not suck blood) that had just feasted on blood, rather
than other mosquitoes that were fed a sugar concoction.
She said that feeding on blood is a dangerous activity, so
this spider appears to minimize its risk. "Living creatures
that are bitten have a reflective `swatting' response —
human use their arms, tailed animals use their tails, etc.,
and this action frequently kills the insect. It may be safer
for Evarcha to obtain blood by killing a mosquito, than to
risk being swatted, even if they did have the mouth parts
required to pierce skin and locate a blood vessel"
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "News in Science," Oct.
31, 2005, see also New York Times, Oct. 18, 2005).
The National Geographic writes, "They say most spiders
expend a lot of energy breaking solid food down into liquid
by injecting their prey with digestive enzymes. `Perhaps
blood is a ready-made, nutrient-rich liquid meal,' Nelson
said."
No other predators are known to choose prey based on the
prey's last meal. "But actually," says Nelson, "also humans
feed cows in a manner that improves their taste."
About a similar astonishing occurrence that has no
explanation without admitting that Hashem runs the world and
nourishes all of His creations, the Sefer HaBris
writes as follows:
"It is amazing that HaKodosh Boruch Hu takes care to
feed and provide for all His creations from the huge
re'em to the tiny lice, and created for each species
suitable food that it innately likes. We know that every
vegetation, flower, thorn and bud has certain types of
animals that feed from it in particular and not from anything
else.
"I will mention one or two examples: the oak tree provides
with its roots, wood, bark, leaves, flowers and fruit
nourishment for three hundred types of known animals. From a
certain plant called brenenstelin in Yiddish and in
Russian called krapivah (nettle in English) that
stings and irritates any hand that touches it, fifty types of
animals obtain nourishment.
For every species the Creator has created some plant or
substance as its favorite food. May the G-d of all creatures
and the Lord of all generations be praised that nothing lacks
in His world. He has created `numerous living things with
their deficiencies, for all that You have created with which
to maintain the life of every being' (Brochoh of
Borei Nefoshos).
"You will be even more astonished by Hashem's kindness and
wonders from the following. When workers hew massive rocks
from mountains to build walls and houses from them, they
smash them with axes and heavy blows. Sometimes they find
secluded within these stones a cavity where live frogs
strive, and after the rocks are broken into, the frogs emerge
into the world. Since each such cavity exists in unbroken,
fully enclosed rock, it is a miracle that the frogs are able
to obtain their sustenance. Hashem does this and from where
He sits, He watches over them to provide their food and
nourishment.
"Hashem's eyes roam over all and see even where darkness
prevails. He sees his creatures even in the heart of rocks,
in the middle of the earth and deep down within the earth
underneath stone, and provides them with their food in the
proper time. May the One Who provides for all be praised, and
may the One Who Nourishes all be blessed."
The Sefer HaBris writes that we can infer a practical
lesson from this: "And now, intelligent reader, after
Elokim has revealed to you all this, it is improper
for someone as sensible and wise as you, to overly exhaust
himself for a livelihood. It is fitting for you to cling to
the middoh of bitochon and, `Cast upon Hashem
your burden and He will sustain you' (Tehillim
55:23).
"Explore the ways for finding your livelihood in a natural
manner. You need not exhaust yourself from morning to night
and endanger yourself passing through oceans, forests,
deserts and faraway roads, wearing yourself out both by day
and night, not resting during the day and not lying down at
night. Surely you should not set yourself up in a prohibited
livelihood, and choliloh, act wickedly. You should not
envy sinners, people following improper schemes . . .and He
commanded us to remember the manna that fell daily so
that we will trust in Him that He will provide us today and
tomorrow with food, just as He daily provided us with
manna."
The Pnei Yehoshua explains the saying of Chazal, "Someone who
recites Tehilloh LeDovid three times a day is
guaranteed to merit Olam Habo" (Brochos 4b), as
follows: "It seems to me that this means that through
reciting this psalm three times each day with kavonoh,
he has established a chazokoh of the true
emunoh that the whole world that was only created to
serve people engaged in Torah study, given with twenty-two
letters of the alef-beis found in this psalm, has been
strengthened in his heart.
"It is well known that all that Hashem created was only for
this purpose. A person should reflect when saying the
posuk, `You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of
every living thing' (Tehillim 145:16), that
HaKodosh Boruch Hu feeds and provides sustenance for
His world from the huge re'em until the tiny lice.
They obtain their livelihood without exerting themselves and
without bother, as is written above, `The eyes of all look to
You with hope and You give them their food in its proper
time" (v. 15). And therefore surely a person must contemplate
and afterward reach the conclusion that it is futile to exert
oneself the whole day working for a livelihood.
"Since the only purpose of all the creatures of the world is
to serve man and HaKodosh Boruch Hu provides them with
their livelihood without exertion, certainly it is proper
that He will do so for those guarding His covenant and
remembering His commands that are the main reason the world
exists and are the foundation of the world. `Cast on Hashem
your burden, and He will sustain you.' It is also written, `I
have not seen a righteous man forsaken, nor his children
begging for bread' (Tehillim 37:25).
"After pondering this, a person will unquestionably do his
work in a temporary way, but will do the work of Heaven in a
permanent (steady, committed) way. And as Chazal teach us, if
someone acts like that, both (his work and the work of
Heaven) are successful, and that is what is meant in the
saying of Chazal that one who recites Tehilloh LeDovid
(Ashrei) three times a day is guaranteed Olam
Habo.
"In addition, we now also understand well that our Sages said
to recite Ashrei three times during the day and not at
night before Ma'ariv, because a person mostly exerts
himself for his livelihood during that time after
Shacharis, as is written, `Man goes forth to his work,
and to his labor until evening' until the tefilloh of
Minchah. This seems to me to be the right
explanation."
