Read about the great minds of history—those individuals who conceived of and constructed philosophies, theorems, and academic systems that furthered the development of human intelligence and knowledge.

Despite their enormous intellectual contributions to mankind, more often than not, the private lives of many of these famous personalities did not reflect their lofty ideas. On a personal level, their moral behavior left much to be desired.

When you approach a city to wage war against it . . . you must not destroy its trees. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Only trees that you know do not yield food you shall cut down . . . (Deut. 20:19–20)

In instructing us about how to wage a war, the Torah is also providing guidance in fighting against those forces that stunt our personal spiritual growth.

The greatest benefit of a tree is the fruit it produces. Similarly, the greatest hallmark of man must be the fruit that his intellect produces—the knowledge must be absorbed by our emotions to create proper feelings and then actions.

Our intellectual understanding cannot remain in the realm of the abstract, but must affect our actions. Only then can we consider ourselves fully developed and complete human beings.

“Trees that you know do not yield food shall be cut down.” Intellect that remains cold and aloof is like a tree that has not produced fruit—it hasn’t served its function.

This verse is a necessary reminder that the true test of an individual is not so much his intellectual qualities, but how he refines and elevates his emotional self and actions.