The tzaddik who actualizes every Jew's avodah

בענין אות המטה של אהרן בתוך מטותם לרמוז כי ע"י התכללות בנ"י אז עבודת הכהן העובד ה' עושה פירות.

Regarding the sign of Aharon's staff being placed "among their staffs" — it hints that only through the inclusion of Bnei Yisrael together does the avodah of the Kohen, who serves Hashem, bear fruit.

Aharon's staff blossomed specifically while resting among the other staffs. The Sefas Emes learns from this that the Kohen's avodah produces "fruit" only when it gathers in and includes all of Bnei Yisrael; it does not stand alone.

וז"ש בתוך מטותם שבאמת פעולת הצדיק אינו בכח עצמו רק שמאסף כל חלקי עבודת הפרטים ומוציא אותם מכח אל הפעולה.

This is the meaning of "among their staffs" — for in truth the work of the tzaddik is not by his own power alone; rather, he gathers together all the portions of the avodah of each individual and brings them from potential into actuality.

The tzaddik is not a self-contained force. His role is to collect the scattered pieces of every Jew's avodah and to actualize them — to take what lies dormant as potential in each person and bring it into full deed.

כי הכל עובדים ה' אך לזכות לעשות פרי למעלה לא כל אדם זוכה לכך.

For everyone serves Hashem, but not every person merits to produce fruit Above.

Every Jew has his own avodah, yet not everyone is able, on his own, to have that avodah "bear fruit" in the upper worlds. That elevation requires the tzaddik who gathers and raises it.

וז"ש אמרו צדיק כי טוב כי פרי מעלליהם יאכלו.

This is the meaning of "Say of the tzaddik that it is good, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds" (Yeshayahu 3:10).

The Sefas Emes connects the praise of the tzaddik to the eating of "the fruit of their deeds" — the tzaddik is "good" precisely because, through him, the deeds of the many bear edible fruit.

ומדקדקין דהול"ל פרי מעלליו יאכל.

And the commentators are precise here: the verse should have said, "he shall eat the fruit of his deeds" (in the singular).

There is a grammatical difficulty: the verse speaks of the single tzaddik, yet shifts to the plural — "their deeds… they shall eat." Why the change from singular to plural?

אך באמת כולם צריכין להחזיק טובה להצדיק שהוא מוציא מעשיהם מכח אל הפועל שיזכו לאכול פרי מעלליהם כנ"ל.

But in truth, all of them must be grateful to the tzaddik, for it is he who brings their deeds from potential into actuality, so that they merit to eat the fruit of their own deeds, as above.

The plural is exact: the fruit belongs to all of them. They each eat the fruit of their own deeds — but only because the tzaddik actualized those deeds. Hence everyone owes him gratitude.

וזהו הי' נחמה לבנ"י שיש לכולם חלק במעשה הכ"ג.

And this was a consolation for Bnei Yisrael — that all of them have a portion in the avodah of the Kohen Gadol.

Far from being excluded by the Kohen's unique status, the people are comforted: the Kohen Gadol's service is, in a real sense, theirs too, since it carries up the avodah of every individual.

וכעין זה הגיד מו"ז ז"ל בשם הרב מפרשיסחא ז"ל שהרמז ויצץ ציץ ויגמול כו' כמו שיש באילן פרחים וציצים ופירות כן יש לכל ישראל חלק.

And something like this my grandfather, of blessed memory, said in the name of the Rebbe of Peshischa, of blessed memory: that the hint of "it brought forth a blossom, sprouted a bud, and ripened almonds" (Bamidbar 17:23) is that, just as a tree has flowers, buds, and fruits, so too every Jew has a portion.

The Sefas Emes cites the Rebbe of Peshischa (via his grandfather, the Chiddushei HaRim): Aharon's staff produced flower, bud, and fruit all at once, paralleling the tree. So too in Klal Yisrael there are different stages and roles — each Jew has his place in the one living "tree."

זה בפרח וזה בציצים.

This one is in the flower, and that one is in the buds.

Just as a tree simultaneously bears flowers, buds, and ripening fruit, so the Jewish people stand at varying stages of avodah — one at the level of "flower," another at "bud" — yet all belong to a single organism.

אם כי הכהן הוא העיקר כו':

even though the Kohen is the essential one.

The Kohen — like the fruit, the culmination of the tree — is the central, completing element. But the flowers and buds are no less part of the tree; every Jew's stage contributes to the whole.

Summary: Aharon's staff blossomed "among the staffs" to teach that the tzaddik's avodah bears fruit only by gathering in the avodah of every individual and bringing it from potential to actuality. Like a single tree of flowers, buds, and fruit, all of Bnei Yisrael share one portion in the Kohen Gadol's service — each at his own stage, yet all part of the one living whole, with the Kohen as its culmination.