Sanhedrin 94A

אינהו עדיפי מיניה, ואיהו עדיף מנייהו. אינהו עדיפי מיניה ⁠– דאינהו נביאי, ואיהו לאו נביא. ואיהו עדיף מנייהו ⁠– דאיהו חזא, ואינהו לא חזו.

Apropos Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the Talmud notes: In certain respects, the latter 3 were greater than Daniel, and in certain respects, Daniel was greater than the latter 3. They were greater than he, as they were prophets and he was not a prophet. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were designated to transmit their visions of God to the Jewish people, but Daniel was not designated to share his visions with others. And he was greater than they, as he saw this vision, and they did not see this vision.

וכי מאחר דלא חזו, מאי טעמא איבעות? אף על גב דאינהו לא חזו מידי, מזלייהו חזי. אמר רבינא: שמע מינה האי מאן דמבעית, אף על גב דאיהו לא חזי, מזליה חזי.

The Talmud asks: And since they did not see the vision, what is the reason that they were frightened? The Talmud answers: Although they did not see the vision, their guardian angels saw it, and they were overcome with fear and fled. Ravina said: Conclude from it that in the case of this person who becomes frightened with no apparent cause, although he does not see what causes his fear, his guardian angel sees it.

מאי תקנתיה? לינשוף מדוכתיה ארבעה גרמידי. אי נמי, ליקרי קרית שמע. ואי קאי במקום הטנופת, לימא הכי: ״עיזא דבי טבחא שמינא מינאי״.

What is his remedy? Let him leap 4 cubits from his current location to distance himself from the perceived danger. Alternatively, let him recite Shema, which will afford him protection. And if he is standing in a place of filth, where it is prohibited to recite verses from the Torah, let him say this formula: The goat of the slaughterhouse is fatter than I, and let the demon harm the goat instead.

״לםרבה המשרה ולשלום אין קץ וגו׳״. אמר רבי תנחום: דרש בר קפרא בציפורי, מפני מה כל מם שבאמצע תיבה פתוח, וזה סתום? ביקש הקדוש ברוך הוא לעשות חזקיהו משיח, וסנחריב גוג ומגוג.

§ Apropos Hezekiah, the Talmud cites that which is stated: “That the government may be increased [lemarbe] and of peace there be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it through justice and through righteousness, from now and forever; the zeal of YHWH of hosts does perform this” (Isaiah 9:6). R' Tanḥum says that bar Kappara taught in Tzippori: Due to what reason is it that every letter mem in the middle of a word is open and this mem, of the word lemarbe, is closed? In the Masoretic text, the letter mem in the word “lemarbe” is written in the form of a mem that appears at the end of a word, closed on all 4 sides. This is because God sought to designate King Hezekiah as the Messiah and to designate Sennacherib and Assyria, respectively, as Gog and Magog, all from the prophecy of Ezekiel with regard to the end of days (Ezekiel, chapter 38), and the confrontation between them would culminate in the final redemption.