It was a risky campaign. Korach, a very learned man in his own right, joined forces with Dasan and Aviran to overthrow a leader appointed by G-D Himself!
Moshe challenged Korach and his followers to show up the next day with pans of incense. Since that is forbidden by the Torah, they would all die, aside from the man whom G-D chose as the leader. Korach took up the challenge, knowing full well the risks involved.
Korach was known to be an intelligent man. What possessed him to gamble with his life this way?
Rashi tells us that Korach ‘erred with his eye’. He saw, through prophetic vision, that his descendants would include the prophet Samuel, who, in Rashi’s words, ‘was equal to Moshe and Aharon together. He also saw that his descendants would be among the levi’im, the priests who sang in the Temple, who were all endowed with ‘Divine vision’, a vision that is almost prophetic and is reserved only for the holiest people. Korach concluded that he would escape punishment so that he would have another child, to replace his own sons who would be killed for their part.
What he didn’t expect was that his sons would repent sincerely at the last minute, and thus be saved. Korach’s distinguished lineage would be perpetuated through them.
Rabbi Meir Shapiro quotes a teaching in Judaism that says that G-D created man with two eyes: one to appreciate the handiwork of the Creator, and the other to see his own lowliness as a human being.
Rabbi Shapiro explains that Korach failed to use his second eye correctly. His focus was on his own greatness and sense of entitlement, rather than viewing himself honestly and humbly. This clouded his vision and led him to make poor choices. Moshe, on the other hand, used both eyes well throughout his life, as the Torah tells us, ‘his eye never became haughty’.
Our egos have a way of distorting our reality. They are the underlying mechanisms that cause us to make poor judgements, to fail to learn from our mistakes, to hurt those closest to us just so we can be ‘right’. Korach’s story highlights our need to turn our critical eye inwards and take an honest look at ourselves. If we are to make good choices, we must ensure that they come from a place of pure humility and selflessness, free of any agendas and ulterior motives.