Why The Other Tribes Kept Their Nondescript Sticks
After Korach and his followers died, Hashem instructed Moshe to collect a mateh [staff] from every tribe and place them all in the Mishkan. The following day, Moshe returned to the Mishkan, where he found that Aharon’s mateh, which represented the tribe of Levi, had blossomed and sprouted almonds, while the others all remained unchanged. Moshe showed all the staffs to the Jewish people to cement Aharon’s status as the Divinely chosen Kohen Gadol, at which point each tribe retrieved its respective staff.
Although it is understandable why Aharon would want to preserve his mateh that miraculously blossomed, why were the other tribes interested in keeping their nondescript sticks?
Rav Avrohom Gurewitz explains that at this point, every Jew craved to be the Kohen Gadol. However, when they subsequently entered Eretz Yisroel, the tribe of Levi did not receive any share in the land so that they could dedicate their lives to Hashem, leaving them to live off the tithes they received from others.
At that point, there may have been people who would view the Kohanim and the extended tribe of Levi, which according to the Rambam (Hilchos Shemittah V’Yovel 13:13) includes any person who devotes himself to serving Hashem – regardless of his actual lineage – and think, “Thank G-d that I am blessed to live such a comfortable life, but nebach, look at poor Shevet Levi sitting and learning all day. What kind of life do they have?”
Therefore, the staffs of the other tribes were preserved to serve as a tangible reminder that once upon a time, everybody was vying to be Shevet Levi, and our ancestors would have done anything for the privilege to forego the temporal pleasures of this world if only their tribe had been selected to serve Hashem. By keeping their sticks around, the other tribes wanted to ensure that they and their future descendants would always remember their true priorities and aspirations.
