Question

With God’s help,
 
Hello Rabbi, how are you?
In the past I listened to a series of three lectures by the Rabbi on repentance — technique or essence.
I also passed part of it on in a class in our community, and this Sabbath I plan to present it in a women’s class as well (so thank you for that!).
 
A question that stood at the basis of the lecture is Rabbi Itzele Blazer’s question: why does Maimonides require the intermediate person to repent during the Ten Days of Repentance and not suffice with performing a commandment, and there are several answers to this.
 
What always bothers me about his question is that in Jewish law 4 Maimonides writes:
“Because of this matter, the entire house of Israel has the custom to increase charity and good deeds and to engage in commandments from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur more than during the rest of the year; and everyone has the custom to rise at night during these ten days and to pray in synagogues with words of supplication and exhortation until daylight appears.”
 
Seemingly, the custom he brings shows that it is enough to add merits and not necessarily to repent (or else there is an identity between adding merits and repenting, contrary to the question of Kokhvei Or).
How does Jewish law 4 fit with Rabbi Itzele Blazer’s question?

Thank you very much,