Midrash su Geremia 1:14

R. Isaac said: "He who desires to become a scholar shall recite his prayer facing due south; and he who desires to become rich shall pray due north; and a sign for this [can be taken the fact] that the golden table was placed in the north [of the Tabernacle] and the candelabrum, which gives light (wisdom) — on the south." R. Joshua b. Levi, however, said: "One shall always recite his prayers facing due south, for when wisdom increased one becomes, also rich; as it is said (Prov. 3, 16) Length of days in her right hand: in her left are riches and honor." But did not R. Joshua b. Levi say that the Shechina is in the west? He also means that one should stand turning sideways, as to face both sides. R. Chanina said to R. Ashi: "Ye who are located to the north of Palestine must recite your prayers facing due south, [in order to face Jerusalem]." And whence do we know that Babylon was situated to the north of Palestine? (Jer. 1, 14) Out of the north shall the evil break forth," etc.

There (in the north) is the abode of the destroying spirits, earthquakes, winds, demons, lightnings and thunders; thence evil issues forth into the world, as it is said, "Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the earth" (Jer. 1:14). Some say by ten Sayings was the world created || and in three (Divine attributes) are these (ten Sayings) comprised, as it is said, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens, by his knowledge the depths were broken up" (Prov. 3:19, 20). By these three (attributes) was the Tabernacle made, as it is said, "And I have filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge" (Ex. 31:3). Likewise with these three (attributes) was the Temple made, as it is said, "He was the son of a widow woman of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and knowledge" (1 Kings 7:14). By these three attributes it will be rebuilt in the future, as it is said, "Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge are the chambers filled" (Prov. 24:3, 4).

Said Rabbi Aqibha: these are the 22 letters with which the Torah was given to the tribes of Israel, and they were inscribed in a fiery pen upon the awesome and terrific crown of the Holy Blessed One, and when the Holy Blessed One sought to create the world, immediately they all came down and stood before the Holy Blessed One. This one said before Him, "Through me create the world!" and that one said before Him, "Through me create the world!" First entered ת before the Holy Blessed One and said before Him: "Master of the world! You should make Your world through me, for through me You give Torah to Israel by the hand of Moshe, as is written (Deut. 33:4) 'Torah¹beginning with a ת Moshe commanded us' etc." The Holy Blessed One responded and said to it, "No." It said "why?" He said to it: "Since I will in the future use you as a mark on the foreheads of the men moaning and groaning, the mark of the ת to destroy them from the world to come, as is said (Ezekiel 9:4) 'And the LORD said to me, pass among the city and mark a ת upon the foreheads of the men moaning and groaning for all their abominations they have made among them.'" And what does "mark a ת" mean? It teachers that in the time when the Holy Blessed One set a judgement upon Jerusalem to destroy it, He called to the angel of death and said to the angel, "Start going over Jerusalem and choose within it the righteous and wicked. Every righteous one within it, write a ת of ink on his forehead, the ת of letting them live²the Hebrew word תחיה begins with a ת that they will be let live. And every wicked one within it, write a ת of blood on their forehead, the ת of letting them die.³the Hebrew word תמות begins with a ת. What distinguishes the ת from all the other letters? To teach you that the Torah saves humanity from all kinds of danger. At that very moment the attribute of Justice stood before the Holy Blessed One and said, "Master of the world! Even the righteous within it, write on their forehead a ת of blood, the ת of letting them die, so as to destroy all the wicked." Responded the Holy Blessed One and said to it, "Why?" It responded before Him: "Since you did not rebuke your children with words of rebuke, nor tell them not to sin or do ugly things, things that are not decent, things that are not appropriate to do." Responded the Holy Blessed One and said to it, "It is clearly known before Me that if they had been rebuked they would not have heard it." The attribute of Justice responded and said before Him, "Master of the world! Even though they were not recipients of it, they still had to be rebuked." Immediately the Holy Blessed One was silent and counted all the righteous who were in that generation in Jerusalem as wicked. At that time, six wounding angels were sent against Jerusalem, and the people inside it wounded it, as is written (Ezekiel 9:2) "And behold, six men came by the upper gate that faces northwards, and each had a weapon in his hand, and one among them was wearing linen and a writing case at his waist, and they came in and stood by the bronze altar." And what differs north from all the directions? It teaches that all evil spirits only every come from the north, as is written (Jeremiah 1:14) "And he said to me, from the north will evil break upon the inhabitants of the land!" And these are the six men who were sent against Jerusalem: anger and rage and wrath and destruction and annihilation and extermination, and each one had a double-edged sword in is hand, as written, "each had a weapon in his hand." And as soon as the ת heard this matter from the Holy Blessed One, it immediately left from before His presence with a disappointed soul.