Commentary for Berakhot 9:5
ואמר רבי יצחק כל הקורא קריאת שמע על מטתו מזיקין בדילין הימנו שנאמר (איוב ה, ז) ובני רשף יגביהו עוף ואין עוף אלא תורה שנאמר (משלי כג, ה) התעיף עיניך בו ואיננו ואין רשף אלא מזיקין שנאמר (דברים לב, כד) מזי רעב ולחומי רשף וקטב מרירי.
R. Isaac also said : Whoever reads the Shema' upon his bed, the evil spirits flee from him ; as it is said, "And the sons of Reshef fly upwards ['uf] " (Job v. 7). 'Uf means nothing else than Torah ; as it is said, "Wilt thou set [hata'if] thine eyes upon it? It is gone" (Prov. xxiii. 5). And Reshef means nothing else than "evil spirits"; as it is said, "The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt [Reshef] and bitter destruction" (Deut. xxxii. 24).
Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
"Sons of Reshef" in the English version is "sparks." The ancient Jewish Aramaic version, the Targum, renders it "the sons of evil spirits."
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
The root of this word is 'uf, "to fly." The verse is appHed to Torah: "Wilt thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it [i.e. neglect it]? It is gone [from thy mind]."
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
The Targum here renders Reshef by "birds"; so LXX in Job v. 7. But "bitter destruction " is rendered by "attacked by evil spirits." According to a statement in Pesahim 111 b, Kefeb meriri "bitter destruction" is the name of an evil spirit which is active about the time of noon. It is probably heat personified ; cf. T. A . III. p. 346 n. 131.
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