[Avodah] bat mitzva "bo bayom"

[Saul Mashbaum]

RSB

: My daughters always like to say the following quote (attributed to Rav
: Soloveitchik):

: "Your birthday is the day that Hashem decided that the world couldn't
: go on without you".

RMB
>>

I hadn't heard it besheim RYBS. And I'm surprised that he would say
it, it doesn't sound like RYBS's style

>>

FWIW, I saw the above in the name of R. Nachman of Braslov, which to
me intuitively more plausible. However, the source in which I saw this
attribution was not one I would deem reliable.

I once sent the above quotation, attributed to RNachman, to a teenager
in an email birtday card. It was well received.

Like RMB, I question whether indeed one can know what exactly Hashem
decided, or when. But indeed the sentiment can convey a powerful
message that ones existence is of great importance and meaning, and
one can have a significant impact on the world. It's a little like the
idea that one should act as if  the scales judging the world are
perfectly balanced, and it is in ones power to tip the scale in one
direction or another. I think that everyone is aware that this is not
literally the case, but this can serve as a powerful motivation for
doing good. Like many inspirational messages, its value is not
dependent on its literal accuracy.

Saul Mashbaum