His story, recounted in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 18, is a wild ride of ambition, rebellion, and some seriously bad consequences.
So, "Korah took…" That's how the story begins. But what did he take? According to the Midrash, he took his garment and went to get advice from his wife. Why? Because Moses, acting on God's instructions, had just given Korah a rather… thorough… purification ritual.
You see, God had told Moses to purify the Levites, which included shaving them completely. As it says in Numbers 8:6-7, "Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them. So shall you do to them, to purify them…and they shall pass a razor over all their flesh". And Moses, well, he followed orders. Including Korah.
Imagine being Korah. One minute you're a respected Levite, the next you're bald as an egg. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Korah goes around Israel, but no one recognizes him. He tells them, bitter as can be, that Moses did this to him, that Moses even waved him around and declared him pure. He then describes how Moses adorned his brother Aaron as High Priest and seated him in the Tent of Meeting.
It's not hard to see why Korah was steamed. He felt humiliated and bypassed. So he rallied the people, stoking their discontent. He accused Moses of playing favorites, of setting up a dynasty where Moses was king, Aaron was High Priest, and their sons were deputies. "You have too much!" they cried, according to Numbers 16:3, "as the entire congregation, all of them are holy, and the Lord is among them, and why do you elevate yourselves over the assembly of the Lord?"
According to Bamidbar Rabbah, Rabbi Levi says that Korah gathered his people and complained that Moses and Aaron had made things worse than they were in Egypt. They were even thinking of stoning Moses! Talk about a hostile work environment.
Moses, understandably, was taken aback. "Moses heard and he fell on his face" (Numbers 16:4). He tried to reason with them, explaining that he wasn't seeking power, nor was Aaron seeking the High Priesthood. In fact, Moses said, "Master of the universe, is this not what You commanded me: 'You, draw near to you Aaron your brother and his sons with him'?" (Exodus 28:1). But they are standing against us to kill us!
Then comes the famous test. Moses proposes that God will reveal who is truly chosen. "Morning, the Lord will disclose who is His," Moses says (Numbers 16:5). Rabbi Natan makes an interesting point: Why does it say “morning [boker]” and not “in the morning [baboker]”? He suggests that just as God distinguished between light and darkness, He would clearly distinguish Aaron as sanctified.
But the rebellion didn’t stop there. Moses summoned Datan and Aviram, two more rebels. And their response? "We will not go up" (Numbers 16:12). It’s a seemingly small detail, but the Midrash picks up on it. They said, "We will not go up," implying they would descend instead. "A fool’s mouth is ruin for him" (Proverbs 18:7). Their words foreshadowed their fate.
Moses, ever the leader, decided to go to them, hoping they would reconsider. But when they saw him, they began to curse and blaspheme. The text notes that "Datan and Aviram emerged standing" (Numbers 16:27). The Midrash asks, who emerges standing? It's a reference to Goliath, who also emerged standing, cursing and blaspheming.
Then comes the climax. Moses declares that if these men die a natural death, then God didn't send him. But if the earth opens up and swallows them whole… well, that's another story. And, of course, "the earth opened its mouth" (Numbers 16:32).
The story doesn't end there. "Fire emerged from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men" (Numbers 16:35). Rabbi Berekhya emphasizes how grave the sin of dispute is. Even babies were swallowed by the earth because they were associated with Korah's rebellion. As it is written: “[Datan and Aviram had come out and they stood at the entrance of their tents] with their wives, and their children, and their infants” (Numbers 16:27), [and it is written:] “They and everything that was theirs descended alive into the abyss” (Numbers 16:33).
So what do we take away from the story of Korah? It's a cautionary tale about ambition, resentment, and the dangers of undermining divinely appointed authority. It's a reminder that even when we feel wronged, rebellion and discord can have devastating consequences. But perhaps, too, it's a reminder to those in power to lead with humility and fairness, lest they inadvertently sow the seeds of dissent.