PTIJ: Why was Rabbah afraid of getting scorched by the star?

Question

In Bava Batra 73a it says:

"אָמַר רַבָּה אִשְׁתַּעוּ לִי נָחוֹתֵי יַמָּא בֵּין גַּלָּא לְגַלָּא תְּלָת מְאָה פַּרְסֵי וְרוּמָא דְגַלָּא תְּלָת מְאָה פַּרְסֵי זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה אָזְלִינַן בְּאוֹרְחָא וְדַלִּינַן גַּלָּא עַד דַּחֲזֵינַן בֵּי מַרְבַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּכוֹכְבָא זוּטָא וְהַוְיָא לִי כְּמִבְזַר אַרְבְּעִין גְּרִיוֵי בִּזְרָא דְחַרְדְּלָא וְאִי דַּלִּינַן טְפֵי הֲוָה מִקְּלֵינַן מֵהַבְלֵיהּ

Said Rabbah: Seafarers told me that between each wave there are 300 parasangs and the height of each wave is 100 parasangs. One time we travelled on a ship and a wave lifted us so high that we saw the dwelling place of a small star, and to me it seemed that the size of the star was like the size of an area necessary for the planting of 40 se'ah of mustard seeds. And if we had gone up any higher, we would have been scorched by the heat of the star."

Why was Rabbah afraid of getting scorched by the star? Did he chas v'shalom forget the pasuk in Bamidbar 24:17:

"דרך כוכב מיעקב"
"Tread a star will [a man] from Jacob"

which means that people from Am Yisrael are able to walk on stars (and some of them might even be living on them)! So why was Rabbah worried?

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This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.

Answer 1

Not everyone can walk on the stars.

Midrashically, we can read the verse you quoted as follows:

דרך כוכב מיעקב, מיעקב ולא כל יעקב

From Jacob they will tread on a star; some from Jacob, but not everyone from Jacob.

Who are those who are able to tread on the stars?

It is only those who possess the wisdom known as sod ha-ibbur. As Maharal writes in Be'er HaGolah 6:7:

ודבר זה יקרא 'סוד העבור', אשר יודע כל עניין הליכת החמה והכוכבים

This is called sod ha-ibbur, those who know all about how to walk on the sun and the stars.

And we know that Rabbah did not possess sod ha-ibbur.

Sanhedrin 38a teaches us that:

נכנס יין יצא סוד

Wine comes in, and the sod [ha-ibbur] leaves

and we know from Megillah 7b that Rabbah certainly drank wine:

רַבָּה וְרַבִּי זֵירָא עֲבַדוּ סְעוּדַת פּוּרִים בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי אִיבַּסּוּם

Rabbah and Rabbi Zeira had the Purim meal together, and got drunk.

Since Rabbah drank wine he did not know the sod ha-ibbur, and was therefore unable to walk on the stars, which is why is he was afraid of the star's heat.

Answer 2

He must of been reviewing Nach on the journey and recalled the pasuk in Shoftim 5:20

מִן־שָׁמַ֖יִם נִלְחָ֑מוּ הַכּֽוֹכָבִים֙ מִמְּסִלּוֹתָ֔ם נִלְחֲמ֖וּ עִם־סִֽיסְרָֽא

From heaven they fought, the very stars from their orbits did battle with Sisera

Interestingly, the Metzudos Dovid comments there:

וכאלו מן השמים נלחמו עמו וכאלו הכוכבים סרו ממסלותם ומדרך מהלכם וירדו ונלחמו עם סיסרא ורבותינו זכרונם לברכה אמרו (פסחים קיח ב) שהכוכבים הרתיחו השריונות ונכנסו בנחל קישון להתקרר, ושטפם מי הנחל

And it was as if they fought with him from the heavens, and as if the stars swerved from their paths and from the way of their trajectories and descended and fought with Sisera. But our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Pesachim 118b) that the stars heated up the armor (such that it was too hot to touch). So they went into the Kishon Rivor to cool [it] down, but the waters of the river washed them away.

So perhaps Rabbah was conscious of the heat the stars give off and was genuinely concerned that he might get scorched as he wasn't suitably dressed to traverse its surface.