October 7 and the Literature of Destruction

One of my favorite books—one that did much to shape my understanding of Jewish history and literature—is an anthology with the sobering name The Literature of Destruction. Compiled by David Roskies, a scholar of modern Jewish literature, the work brings together canonical Jewish texts (in both the religious and secular senses of the term) composed in response to national catastrophes, from the book of Lamentations to poems and prose written in the wake of the Shoah. It’s a searing introduction to some of the greatest works of Jewish literature as well as a poignant look into one aspect of the Jewish soul.