Rashi (Bamidbar 16:7) explains that although Korach was in fact a wise man he was blinded by a misunderstanding. Korach foresaw a great line of descendants who would come forth from him, including Shmuel Hanavi, whom the Torah equates with Moshe and Aharon. This led Korach to believe that he too was as great as they.Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l observes that the Torah traces the ancestry of Shmuel’s father, Elkanah to Miriam Haneviah which indicates that Shmuel existed on account of Miriam. If so, why was Korach so confident that the greatness of Shmuel derived from his zechus?Rav Moshe explains that this is fact was the error that blinded Korach. Korach in his haughtiness believed that his illustrious grandson was a credit to his tzidkus when in reality it was in Miriam’s merit. This is the tool of the yetzer hara; to lead one to believe in a “ruach shtus” - a minor foolish belief (see Sotah 5b) which ultimately leads him down a dangerous road.

Rav Moshe Feinstein explains how Korach's pride led to a fatal misunderstanding regarding his descendants and the true source of Shmuel Hanavi's greatness.

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