(Numb. 16:1) “[Now Korah …] took”: “Took” can only be a word for "attracting with persuasive words," in that he attracted all the leaders of Israel and the sanhedraot [to follow] after him. ...“Now Korah […] betook himself”: Because of what did he dissent? Because of Elizaphan, the son of his father's brother, who had been appointed prince (nasi) over his clan. So it says (in Numb. 3:30), “And the prince of the ancestral house for the Kohathite clan was Elizaphan ben Uzziel.” Korah said, “Father had four brothers.” It is so stated (according to Exod. 6:18), “And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.” “As for Amram, the first-born; his son Aaron attained greatness, and his brother Moses [attained] the kingship. So who deserves to get second [place]? Should it not be the second [son]? Now I am Izhar's son. I deserved to be prince of my clan, but he has appointed the son of Uzziel. Should the youngest of father's brothers become superior to me? See, I am dissenting and declaring everything invalid, whatever he had done.” Therefore, (in Numb. 16:1) “Now Korah […] took.”
3 (Numb. 16:1) “Now Korah […] took”: What is written above the matter (in Numb. 15:38)? “Speak unto the Children of Israel and tell them to make tassels (zizit) for themselves.’” Korah quickly said to Moses, “In the case of a prayer shawl (tallit) which is all blue, what is the rule about it being exempt from [having] the tassel?” Moses said to him, “[Such a prayer shawl] is required to have the tassels.” Korah said to him, “Would not a prayer shawl which is all blue exempt itself, when four [blue] threads exempt it? In the case of a house which is full of [scriptural] books, what is the rule about it being exempt it from [having] the mezuzah (which contains only two passages of scripture)?” [Moses] said to him, “[Such a house] is required to have the mezuzah.” [Korah] said to him, “Since the whole Torah has two hundred and seventy-five parashiot in it and they do not exempt the house [from having the mezuzah], would the one parasha which is in the mezuzah exempt the house?” [He also] said to him, “These are things about which you have not been commanded. Rather you are inventing them [by taking them] out of your own heart.”
Here is what is written (in Numb. 16:1), “Now Korah […] took.” (Numb. 16:1) “Now Korah […] took”: Now “took (rt.: lqh)” can only be a word of discord, in that his heart carried him away (rt.: lqh). Thus is [the word] used (in Job 15:12), “How your heart has carried you away (rt.: lqh) […].” This explains what Moses said to them (in Numb. 16:9), “Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated [you from the congregation to draw you near unto Himself, to perform the service of the Lord's tabernacle …]?” The sages have said, “Korah was a great sage and was one of the bearers of the ark, as stated (in Numb. 7:9), ‘But to the children of Kohath He gave no [wagons], because they had the service of the holy objects, which they carried on their shoulders.’” Now Korah was the son of Izhar, [who was] the son of Kohath. When Moses said (in Numb. 15:38), “And put on the tassel of each corner a thread of blue,” what did Korah do? He immediately ordered them to make two hundred and fifty blue shawls for those two hundred and fifty heads of sanhedraot who rose up against Moses to wrap themselves in, just as it is stated (in Numb. 16:2), “And they rose up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel, princes of the congregation, chosen in the assembly.” Korah arose and made them a banquet at which they all wrapped themselves in blue prayer shawls. [When] Aaron's sons came to receive their dues, [namely the] breast and right thigh, they arose against them and said to them, “Who commanded you to receive such? Was it not Moses? [If so,] we shall not give you anything, as the Holy One, blessed be He, has not commanded it.” They came and informed Moses. He went to placate them. They immediately confronted him, as stated (ibid.), “And they rose up against Moses.”
And who were they? Elizur ben Shedeur and his companions (the princes), the men (according to Numb. 1:17) “who were mentioned by name.” Although the text has not publicized their [names], it has given clues to their [identity], so that you [can] identify them from the [various] verses. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a scion of good parentage who stole articles from the bathhouse. The owner of what was stolen did not want to publish his [name. Rather,] he began to give clues about his [identity]. When they said to him, “Who stole your articles,” he said, “A scion of good parentage, a tall person with beautiful teeth and black hair.” After he had given his clues, they knew who he was. So also here where the text has concealed them and not specified their names, it comes and gives clues to their [identity]. You know who they are. It is stated elsewhere (in Numb. 1:16-17), “These were elected by the congregation, princes of their ancestral tribes, heads of thousands within Israel. So Moses and Aaron took these men who were mentioned by name.” Now here it is written (in Numb. 16:2-3), “princes of the congregation, elected by the assembly, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron.”
(ו) עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וּקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה:
(6) Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the staff [of Moses], [7] the shamir, [8] the letters, [9] the writing, [10] and the tablets. And some say: also the demons, the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say: and also tongs, made with tongs.
דָּרַשׁ רָבָא מַאי דִכְתִיב (במדבר טז, ל): אִם בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא ה', אָמַר משֶׁה רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים אִם בְּרִיאָה גֵּיהִנֹּם, מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו יִבְרָא ה', לְמַאי, אִילֵימָא לְמִבְרְיֵיהּ מַמָּשׁ, וְהָכְתִיב (קהלת א, ט): אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, אֶלָא לְאַקְרוּבֵי פִתְחָא. (במדבר כו, יא): וּבְנֵי קֹרַח לֹא מֵתוּ. תָּאנָא מִשּׁוּם רַבֵּינוּ מָקוֹם נִתְבַּצֵר לָהֶם בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם. אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָא זִימְנָא חָדָא הֲוָה אָזֵילְנָא בְּאוֹרְחָא, וְאָמַר לִי הַהוּא טַיְיעָא תָּא וְאַחְוֵי לָךְ בֵּי בְּלוּעֵי דְקֹרַח, אָזְלֵי וַחֲזָאי תְּרֵי בִּזְעֵי וְקָא נָפַק קוּטְרָא מִינַיְּיהוּ, שָׁקַל גַּבְּבָא דְּעַמְרָא וְאַמְשְׁיֵיהּ בְּמַיָּא וְאוֹתְבֵיהּ בְּרֵישׁ רוֹמְחָא וְעַיְילֵהּ לְהָתָם וְאִיחֲרַךְ וּנְפַל. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַצֵּית מַאי שָׁמַעְתְּ, וּשְׁמָעִי דַּהֲווֹ קָאַמְרֵי משֶׁה וְתוֹרָתוֹ אֱמֶת וְהֵן בַּדָּאִין, אָמַר לִי כָּל תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין מְהַדְּרָא לְהוֹ גֵּיהִנֹּם כְּבָשָׂר בְּתוֹךְ קַלַּחַת וְאָמְרֵי הָכֵי משֶׁה וְתוֹרָתוֹ אֱמֶת. וְלֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא עָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהוֹצִיאָן, וַעֲלֵיהֶם אָמְרָה חַנָּה (שמואל א ב, ו): ה' מֵמִית וּמְחַיֶּה מוֹרִיד שְׁאוֹל וַיָּעַל.
Rabba expounded what is written (in Numb. 16:30), “But if the Lord creates something new, [and the earth opens its mouth]”: Moses said, “Master of the World, if gehinnom is created, all the better; but if not, ‘the Lord creates.’” To what [does the verse refer]? If we say to an actual creation of something, then is it not written (in Eccl. 1:9), “For there is nothing new under the sun.” Rather [it refers] to bringing the opening (into gehinnom) up close (to the surface of the earth where Korah was standing). (Numb. 26:11) “The sons of Korah, however, did not die”: It was taught in the name of our master, “A place was set aside for them in gehinnom.” Rabbah bar bar Hanah said, “One time it happened that I was travelling on the road, when a certain Arab merchant said to me, ‘Come, I will show you chasms of Korah.’ I went and saw two fissures out of which was coming smoke. He took a ball of clipped wool, steeped it in water, placed it on a spearhead, [and raised it] over them; it burned and fell. Then he said to me, ‘Listen, what do you hear?’ I heard them saying, ‘Moses and his Torah represent truth, but they (i.e., Korah and his community) are liars.’ He said to me, Every thirty days gehinnom returns them to here, like meat in a pot, and they say, “Moses and his Torah are true.”’” But in the future to come the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to take them out [of gehinnom]. Moreover, it is with reference to them that Hannah said (in I Sam. 2:6), “The Lord brings death and gives life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.”