NUM11 Confess sins with true regret. We are commanded to confess before Hashem all our sins, when we feel sincere regretful over them. When a person confesses, he repents and says, “אנא השם חטאתי עויתי ופשעתי כך וכך״--please, Hashem, I have sinned. I have acted corruptly and I have behaved negligently by doing so and so.” That is, the person confessing must verbally specify his sin and ask forgiveness and atonement for it, elaborating on his feelings of regret to the best of his ability. We are obligated to confess all our sins, not only the grave ones. We also must ask forgiveness for the times when we could have fulfilled positive commands but chose not to do so. We also must confess wrongs that we committed against our fellow man, such as derogatory or slanderous speech, theft, robbery, causing physical injury and so forth. In addition, if because we wronged someone we owe him money, we must also pay our debt. Otherwise, that sin will not be forgiven, and it is preferable not to utter confession about it. Key concepts: When someone verbally admits his sins, he shows that he realizes that Hashem is aware of whatever he does and nothing can be hidden from Him. In addition, when we verbally confess our sins, specifying each one and expressing our regret over all of them, we will be more careful about our behavior in the future and will not want to sin again. Our heightened desire to avoid sin will cause us to find favor in the eyes of our Maker, Who wants only good for us and will guide us so that we stay on the correct path.