In the first chapter of Hilchot Teshuva, the Rambam describes the mitzvah of verbal confession, and what it entails. The Rambam also delineates the different methods of atonement, and the special nature of the day of Yom Kippur itself. We investigate why the Rambam formulates the commandment to repent specifically as a mitzvah to confess, and suggest a way to resolve a blatant contradiction between his introduction to Hilchot Teshuva and the very first halacha on the page.
