COMMENTARY
A Son’s Eulogy for Norman Podhoretz (1930-2025)
John Podhoretz
December 19, 2025

…And he was witty. So witty. And a generator of wit as well. What he loved, what he treasured, was cleverness—an unexpected turn of phrase, a surprising off-kilter observation that reframes the truth in the right way… He began his hundreds if not thousands of public speeches with the same joke every time, so I’m guessing many of you might have heard it. A great rebbe is dying, and his disciples are weeping at his bedside. “Oh our master is leaving us, he was the wisest of men, who will instruct us in wisdom?” “Oh our master is leaving us, he was the most pious of men, who will instill in us a love of Ha Shem?” “Oh our master is leaving us, he was the holiest of men, who will guide us on the path to righteousness?” The old man uses his last ounce of strength to pull himself up and look them all in the eye and say, “And about my humility you have nothing to say?” READ MORE