Birds Ratzo V Shav
WE WANT TO STAY ON THE BIRD FEEDER!
Birds are constantly flying back and forth to and from the bird feeder
We are on a bird feeder! Our life force.
We don’t want to leave!
H’ designed it this way
To sustain Our life force.
-SHULI KLEINMAN
Spirituality is like the flight of a bird
I love this moshul particularly since I love watching and have even envied the soaring of birds. There's so much to be learned from them. As well as what you pointed out, there are times when the bird seems to ride on a wind that lifts it - I would relate this to how after we've put in a lot of effort (flapping our wings) Hashem sends a ruach / wind and things feel easier for a while. We're uplifted. Then there's the way flocks of birds fly with one bird in front, but it's not always the same bird. They gracefully move together but their positions within the formation shift as they fly.
–MIRIAM SHAW
"Trust in HaShem is the single most important requirement needed to serve HaShem"
(Chovot Halevavot / Duties of the Heart).
This concise statement is a spiritual sun that illuminates the path of Torah and Mitzvot. Trust in HaShem is the key factor that leads to spiritual success, and it is infinitely more important than intelligence, effort, wealth, or status! For example, the trust in HaShem of our holy Avot, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaacov, granted them the knowledge of the entire Torah, even before HaShem revealed the Torah on Mount Sinai. In light of this, every person, regardless of his challenges, has the opportunity to excel in serving HaShem. The more we strengthen our trust in HaShem, the more we are empowered to advance in our service of HaShem.
Moral: Spirituality is like the flight of a bird. As long as the bird flaps his wings he ascends to heaven, yet when he makes no effort to climb upwards he descends. So too, the more we strengthen our trust in HaShem, the closer we come to HaShem and the more joy we experience.
Application: Envision Avraham Avinu as a young child living in a society of pagans. See him contemplate on the universe and recognize the kind Creator. Each day he strengthens his faith and trust in HaShem a little more. Ultimately, he emerges with towering, unshakeable faith in HaShem. In return for his extraordinary faith, HaShem blesses him boundless blessings. He merits to be the progenitor of Klal Yisrael, a Prophet, and the innovator of loving kindness.