Why the Chasam Sofer Did Not Hasten the Birth

The birth of the Kesav Sofer was a difficult one, and the labor was long and painful. Some of the Chasam Sofer's talmidim and other Torah scholars saw that their Rebbe did nothing to hasten his son's birth, and they questioned it. "Why did the Rav not daven that his wife give birth more easily and quickly?" they asked.

The Chasam Sofer answered, "Surely you know the statement of Chazal in Yoma 38 that when one sun rises, another sets. When one tzaddik's life ends like a sunset, another tzaddik's life begins like a sunrise. Surely my son will be a tzaddik, and if so, how can I hasten his birth and cause another tzaddik's life to end too soon?"