We learn from the mitzvah of “You shall walk in Hashem’s ways” to be merciful and compassionate like Hashem is, to be holy like Hashem is, to resemble Hashem and conduct ourselves as He does, to the best of our ability (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos De’os 1:6).
One of Hashem’s special characteristics is the fact that He is One and Only. He existed before the world and will continue to exist after the world. He is not dependent on others.
There are some people whose whole lives revolve around others, around their friends and society. Indeed, if a person is in a good society of b’nei Torah, this will influence him positively to be a ben Torah himself. However, the true beauty of a human being is not who he is associated to, but who he is himself. When a person is alone, on his own, he can find within himself beauty, kedushah, Shechinah, many wonderful things. A true individual is someone who finds within himself a point around which he builds his life.
This brings us to the ability to keep a secret. A person who has his own internal life, who is not just revolving around his society, knows how to keep a secret. He is reliable.
Being a reliable person is an important virtue. Let’s say you deposit valuables to someone’s safekeeping without witnesses or documents. It’s because you deem them reliable. They won’t steal your valuables.
When a person’s whole life revolves around society, we can’t be sure how he will behave when he is all alone. He is not truly reliable. He is likely to do things he will regret. But if his way of life depends on something internal, on something within his own self, then it makes no difference to him whether people see what he is doing or not. He is responsible to himself and not just to the society around him. He finds kedushah and Shechinah within himself. The center of his life is Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
We learn from the Chovos Halevavos (Sha’ar Cheshbon Hanefesh 3) that a person can test how reliable he is to Hashem, he can determine the extent of his inner sense of truth, by the way he prays. The way a person davens expresses the degree to which he resembles his Creator. This is the true test of a person.
