Page:משנה תורה דפוס ווארשא-ווילנא כרך ראשון 1.pdf/120

 with crying and with supplications, and does charity according to his strength, and distances himself a lot from the thing with which he sinned, and changes his name meaning to say "I am someone else and I am not the same man that did those acts", and changes all of his actions to good and to a right path, and exiles from his location, for exile effaces sin, because it causes him to submit himself and to be unpretentious and a humble spirit. 5 And it is a great praise for a repentant that he should confess in public, and should inform them his sins, and reveals sins that are between him and between his fellow to others, and tells them: "Truly, I sinned to so-and-so and did to him this and this, and I today repent and regret". And whoever is haughty and does not inform but covers up his sins, his repentance is not complete, as it says: "He who covers up his sins will not succeed". When are these words said? By sins that are between man and his fellow. But by sins that are between man and God, he does not have to publicize himself; and it is an audacity for him if he revealed them; but he repents before God, blessed is He, and details his sins before Him, and confesses on them before the public without details. And it is a favor for him that his sin was not revealed, as it says: "Praised is he whose transgression is forgiven; whose sin is covered". 6 Although the repentance and shouting out are always good, during the days between Rosh haShanah and the Day of Atonement it is even better, and it is right away accepted, as it says: "Seek God when He is found". When are these words said? By an individual. But a community, whenever they repent and shout out with a whole heart, they are answered, as it says: "like God, our God, whenever we call out to Him". 7 The day of Atonement is a time of repentance for all; for an individual and for the public, and it is an end of pardon and forgiveness for Israel. Therefore, all must repent and confess on the day of Atonement. And the commandment of confession of the Day of Atonement is that he should begin from the Eve of the day, before he shall eat, in case he will choke on the meal before he will confess. And although he confessed before he will eat, he confesses again on the nights of the Day of Atonement at the Evening Service, and he confesses again at the Morning Service and at the Additional Service and at the Afternoon Service and at the Conclusion Service. And where does one confess? An individual after his prayer; and the leader in the middle of his prayer, at the fourth blessing. 8 The confession that all of Israel have been accustomed to is: "Indeed we sinned"; and that is the main part of the confession. Sins that he confessed on them on this Day of Atonement, he confesses on them again on another Day of Atonement, even though he remains in his repentance, as it says: "For my transgressions I will know and my sin stands before me constantly". 9 Repentance and the Day of Atonement only forgive on sins that are between man and God; for example, someone who ate a forbidden thing or who had forbidden sexual intercourse, and suchlike. But sins that are between man and his fellow, for example, he who wounds his fellow, or who curses his fellow, or steals from him, and suchlike,