There are many dates on the calendar that go almost unnoticed while others cause us to stop.
September 11 is one of those days. Even twenty-five years later, it is still a time for remembrance, reflection, and questions that are not always easy to answer. This year, it also falls at the start of Rosh Hashanah, giving us another reason to pause and think about not just what we remember, but what remembering asks of us.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
The Jewish High Holidays are one of Judaism’s most profound spiritual traditions. They begin with Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur, and during the Ten Days of Awe between them, Jews examine the past year through prayer, repentance, apology, restitution, forgiveness, and teshuvah, the act of returning to what matters.
At the center of the tradition is a simple idea: human beings are accountable for what they do.
Rosh Hashanah and September 11
This year, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 11, 2026, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
September 11 has become a day of national memory. We remember the people who went to work and never came home. We remember the firefighters, police officers, first responders, passengers, office workers, and strangers whose lives changed in a morning.
But September 11 was not only a moment of tragedy. It was also a moment when moral responsibility became visible. People ran into buildings others were running out of. Passengers understood what was happening and acted. Firefighters climbed stairs knowing what might be waiting above them. Police officers, emergency workers, office workers, and ordinary people accepted a duty to people they did not know.
They saw what had to be done and did it.
That is the moral idea at the center of the High Holidays. What happens to other human beings makes a claim on us, and our actions matter.
This year, two traditions of remembrance occupy the same day. September 11 asks us to remember what happened. Rosh Hashanah asks what follows from remembering. Memory without examination can become ceremony. The High Holidays demand more.
Moral Culpability
This is where the High Holidays have something to say to the world we live in now. Public life is filled with explanation, accusation, grievance, and blame. What is harder to find is moral culpability: the willingness to say, I did this. I was wrong. I am accountable for what followed.
Explanation is not responsibility. Context can tell us why something happened. It does not erase the consequences. Grievance can explain anger. It does not make every act committed in anger defensible. Without culpability, the fault always belongs to someone else.
September 11 showed us another standard. In the middle of catastrophe, people accepted a duty to what was in front of them. Some paid for that decision with their lives. That standard should not apply only to people running into burning buildings. It should apply to the people who lead us.
Leadership without accountability is power without restraint. A leader who cannot acknowledge error cannot correct it. A leader who blames every failure on someone else has no reason to change course. Our job is to demand an answer when leaders refuse accountability.
The questions are not partisan. What did you do? What are you going to do about it? We have both the right and the responsibility to hold those in power accountable. When leaders are exempt from blame, the consequences reach everyone.
Yom Kippur
The High Holidays end with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when the moral accounting begun on Rosh Hashanah reaches its conclusion. For twenty-five hours, Jews who observe the fast don’t eat or drink, and the day is given to prayer, confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Many of the confessions are spoken in the plural: We have sinned. We have betrayed. We have acted wrongly. But forgiveness from God does not erase harm done to another person. That requires acknowledgment, apology, and repair. Yom Kippur turns moral responsibility into practice: we name what we have done, make amends where we can, and commit to doing better. At the end of the day, the books are sealed, and the new year begins.
Thousands of years ago, Judaism placed moral accountability at the center of one of its holiest traditions. September 11 showed us people who embodied it.
We should demand the same from the people who lead us. A world governed by people who accept power but reject accountability is not safe for any of us.
L’shanah Tovah!
Writing to Reflect
Looking back on the experiences that have shaped us is a personal journey that can hold both joy and sadness. Thankfully, as writers, we have a wonderful outlet for reflection.
That’s part of what we do each time we sit down with our laptops or journals, and especially when we come together to write. We give ourselves the time and space to see what finds its way onto the page.
Twice a month, a supportive community of writers comes together to do just that. Our next webinar is Monday, September 14. I hope you’ll join us!
Here’s to remembering what matters, learning from what has been, and looking forward with hope.
To your personal success,
Marilyn Horowitz
Only a Few Seats Left!
Start Writing Now! September 14 at 7:00 pm EST
You Have Something to Write. Let’s Find It.
You don’t need to be a writer. You don’t even need an idea. Just give me one hour. In this free, interactive webinar, we’ll quiet the inner critic, take the pressure off, and simply write.
No judgment. No pressure. No need to get it right.
Come as you are. Let’s see what’s waiting to be written.
“I never knew I had this story in me.” ~M.W
“With this technique, I’m writing every day.” ~R.H
“I think this is really awesome, and I think you’re inspiring a lot of writers to pursue their creativity and their passion.”
—A.B
There’s a story inside each of us. Let’s find yours.
Join my Substack (It’s FREE!)
If you’ve ever wondered why practices like the Self-Acknowledgment Hug and the Word of the Day Practice can make such a difference, explore my Substack.
It’s where I dig a little deeper into the neuroscience behind writing, creativity, self-connection, and personal growth, and how understanding how our brains work can help us access more of what’s already within us.
There’s a growing collection of articles waiting for you, and it’s completely free.
Time to Write
- Begin with the Self-Acknowledgment Hug and the affirmations.
- Think of the word HERO. What image comes to mind? Place a word representing that image in the center circle of your cluster.
- Take a breath, smile, and allow another image to come to mind. Remember, it’s perfectly okay if your images don’t seem related. Just notice what appears.
- Repeat the process until you’ve filled the remaining circles in your cluster.
- Set a timer for five minutes and write a story using the words you placed in your cluster. Don’t worry about where the story is going or whether it’s “good.” Just write.
- When the timer goes off, put your writing away. Come back and read it the next day with fresh eyes.
I’d love to hear about your experience. If you’d like to share your writing or any insights or surprises that came from the Practice, send it my way!
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