If a person has transgressed any one of the Torah's positive or negative commandments, whether willfully or unintentionally, when one repents and turns back from sin, one must confess before God...
This means verbal confession...One says, "Lord, I have sinned, I have done evil, I have rebelled against You and have done such and such… I regret now and am ashamed of my acts; I will never do it again." This is the essence of confession.
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One who has injured a person or damaged his property, even though he pays what he owes him, is not pardoned unless he confesses and resolves never to commit such an offense again…
At this time, when the Temple no longer exists, and we have no atonement altar, there is nothing left but repentance. Repentance atones for all transgressions...
The essence of Yom Kippur atones for those who repent as [Leviticus 16:30] states: “This day will atone
for you.”
What is complete repentance?
When a person confronts the same
situation in which he sinned before, and has the potential to commit the sin
again, but holds back and does not commit it because of his repentance (and not because of fear or inability)...
If one repents only in old age, when he is no longer able to do the sins he used to do, his repentance, though not the best, will nevertheless help, and he is considered a penitent.
Even if a person transgressed all his life and repented on the day of his death..., all his sins are forgiven...
What is repentance? The sinner shall cease sinning, and remove sin from his thoughts, and wholeheartedly resolve not to do it again, as it is said: "Let the wicked forsake his way" (Isaiah 55:7). He must be remorseful about what he did, as it is said: "After I repented, I regretted what I had done" (Jeremiah 31:19)...
He must confess verbally and say what he has resolved in his heart.
Anyone who verbalizes his confession without resolving in his heart to
abandon sin can be compared to one who immerses himself in a
mikveh with a lizard in his hand. His immersion will not be effective until he casts away the carcass...
Among the paths of repentance is for the penitent to
a) constantly call out before God, crying and entreating;
b) to perform charity according to his potential;
c) to separate oneself far from the object of sin;
d) to change his name, as if to say “I am a different person and not the same
one who sinned;”
e) to change his behavior in its entirety to the good and the path of
righteousness; and
f) to travel in exile from his home. Exile atones for sin because it causes a
person to be submissive, humble, and meek of spirit.
It is very praiseworthy for a person who repents to confess in public and to
make his sins known to others, revealing the transgressions he committed
against his friends. He should tell them: “Though I sinned against so and so, committing the following misdeeds.... Behold, I repent and express my regret.”
Anyone who, out of pride, conceals his sins and does not reveal them will not achieve complete repentance as [Proverbs 28:13] states: “He who conceals his sins
will not succeed.”
When does the above apply? In regard to sins between people. However, in regard to sins between people and God, it is not necessary to publicize one’s transgressions. Indeed, revealing them is arrogant...
Even though repentance and calling out to God are desirable at all times,
during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, they are even
more desirable and will be accepted immediately as [Isaiah 55:6] states: “Seek
God when He is to be found” ...
Repentance and Yom Kippur only atone for sins between people and God; for
example, a person who ate a forbidden food....
However, sins between people; for example, one who harms a friend, curses a friend, steals, or the like will never be forgiven until he gives his friend what he owes him and appeases him.
Even if a person restores the money that he owes, he must also appease him and ask him to forgive him.
Even if a person only upset a colleague by saying harmful things, he must appease him and approach him repeatedly until he forgives him.
If his colleague does not desire to forgive him, he should bring a group of three of his friends and approach him with them and request forgiveness. If the wronged party is not appeased, he should repeat the process a second and third time. If he still does not want to forgive him, he may let him
alone and need not pursue the matter further. On the contrary, the person who refuses to grant forgiveness is the one considered as the sinner.
The above does not apply if the wronged party was one’s rabbi. In that instance, a person should continue seeking his forgiveness, even a thousand times, until he forgives him.
It is forbidden for a person to be cruel and refuse to be appeased. Rather, one should be easily pacified, but hard to anger. When the person who wronged him asks for forgiveness, he should forgive him with a complete heart and a willing spirit. Even if he aggravated and wronged him severely, he should not seek revenge or bear a grudge...
If a person wronged a friend and the latter died before he could ask him for forgiveness, he should take ten people and say the following while they are standing before the colleague’s grave: “I sinned against God...and against this person by doing the following to him....”
If he owed him money, he should return it to his heirs. If he is unaware of the identity of his heirs, he should place the sum in the hands of the court and confess.