LEV185 When the Ten Days of Repentance arrive, every man must arouse his heart and tremble before the Day of Judgment, reflecting that all of his deeds are inscribed in a book and that during that period God brings into judgment every deed and every hidden thing, good or evil. For a man is judged on Rosh Hashanah and his judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur (Rosh Hashanah 16a). When a man is brought before a judge of flesh and blood does he not begin trembling greatly and start devising defenses for himself, and does he think of anything else but finding some merit to rescue himself from judgment? How foolish and simple, then, are those who, unaware of their judgment, occupy themselves with matters other than that of repentance, to the end of finding favor before the Great Judge! Therefore, it befits every God-fearing man to minimize his affairs and humble his thoughts and set aside times in the daytime and in the evening to be alone in his rooms to seek out and examine his ways, and to rise before the morning watches to occupy himself in the ways of repentance. We should not be as those who fast and arise early to pray, but do not wage battle against their sins to eradicate all ugliness from their deeds. For every man who prays and fasts and confesses, but still clings to his former deeds, is not pursuing the path of repentance. A man should rouse himself to complete repentance, for the Ten Days of Repentance are a time of favor (Yeshayahu 49:8): "In a time of favor I have answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Rosh Hashanah 18a): "'Seek Hashem while He may be found (Yeshayahu 55:6) -- these are the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur." And our Rabbis of blessed memory have said (Yoma 85b) that Yom Kippur atones in conjunction with repentance. Scripture therefore exhorts us to repent and purify ourselves before the Blessed One through our repentance, as it is written [this verse]: "From all of your sins shall you be clean before Hashem." And He will grant us atonement on this day and cause us to be clean.