Korah was the richest man who ever lived — and his wealth destroyed him. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teaches that three hundred mules were needed just to carry the keys to his treasure houses. Not the treasure itself — merely the keys. Each key opened a different vault, and each vault contained riches beyond imagination.
Where did this wealth come from? From Joseph. When Joseph was viceroy of Egypt, he built three great towers to store the grain that would sustain the world during the seven years of famine. Korah discovered one of these towers and claimed its contents. The second was found centuries later by the Roman emperor Antoninus. The third, the Midrash says, is reserved for the Messiah — hidden somewhere in the earth, waiting for the end of days.
Korah's children, ironically, had nothing. The father who possessed more gold than any human being could spend in a thousand lifetimes left his own offspring in poverty. His wealth was a curse, not a blessing — a magnetic force that attracted greed and destroyed everything it touched.
The dispute between Korah and Moses was, at its root, about this wealth. Korah used the strict letter of the priestly law to challenge Moses and Aaron: "If a widow has only one lamb, must she really give a portion to the priests?" He framed the priesthood as exploitation, the tithes as theft. His argument resonated because he had the money to make it heard.
His punishment was absolute. The earth opened and swallowed him alive — the man who had stored his treasure in the earth was consumed by it. Pride built on wealth, the sages taught, has no foundation. The ground itself will reject it.