EXOD385 There are four essential elements to repentance: (1) feeling remorse for past sins; (2) desisting from them and renouncing them; (3) confessing them and asking forgiveness for them; (4) undertaking, in one's heart and innermost being, not to repeat them. … When one who has wronged his fellow undertakes never again to wrong him, and shows that he regrets, desists from, and admits his error-- this is the perfect fulfillment of the steps that precipitate his being forgiven, the removal of his guilt, and the cancellation of his punishment. When these four essentials, with their conditions (which we will explain [in the next chapter]) are all found in a penitent, the Creator will forgive his sin and pardon his transgression. If his sin be the sort of which it is said that it will not go unpunished—e.g., swearing [in God's Name] in vain (Shemos 20:7), or adultery (Mishlei 6:29) -- the Creator will lighten the punishment in this world and show him grace in the World-to-Come, and he will be included among the righteous. As it says, “He will come to Tziyon as a Redeemer, to those of Ya'akov who turn from transgression” (Yeshayahu 59:20); “‘If you repent, Israel,’ says God, ‘you will be restored to Me’” (Yirmeyahu 4:1); “If you will repent, I will restore you; you will stand before Me” (ibid. 15:19).