The Right Way To Right a Wrong

All of the Misvot in the Torah: whether they be the positive commandments, or the negative commandments; if a person transgressed any of them, whether he did so willingly, whether he did so unintentionally, when he makes Teshuba and returns from sinning- he is obligated to confess before Hashem. Like it says in the Pasuk: (Look at Source 5 & 6), the confession we are dealing with is a verbal confession. Confession is a positive commandment.

(3) What is teshuvah? It is when a person abandons the sin that he sinned and removes it from his thoughts and commits in his heart that he will not do it again, as it says, The wicked should abandon his path etc. (Isaiah 55:7). And also that he regrets sinning, as it says, After I returned I regretted (Jeremiah 31:18). And the One Who Knows Hidden Things testifies about him that he will never return to this sin, as it says, And we will no longer call the work of our hands “god” etc. (Hosea 14:4). And he must confess verbally and say these things that he has committed in his heart.

(4) Anyone who confesses verbally and does not commit in his heart to abandon [sin], this is like a person who immerses [in a purity pool] while holding an unclean creature in his hand, so that the bath is not effective until he sends away the unclean creature, and so it says, One who admits and abandons is given mercy (Proverbs 28:13). And he must specify the sin, as it says, This nation has sinned a great sin and made a golden god for themselves (Exodus 32:31).