Parashas Vayeishev · Passuk 37:12
And his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
Torah Temimah points to Avos d’Rabbi Nasan, chapter 34.
Sefaria — Avos d’Rabbi Nasan 34
English: There are dots over the word “et,” to teach that they did not go to feed the flock, but rather to eat and drink and to be enticed.
Derash on the verse (midrashic sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The dots over “et” signal a secondary reading of the brothers’ intent.
The dotted letters over “et” indicate that the brothers’ journey to Shechem was not primarily for shepherding the flock but for eating, drinking, and being drawn into other pursuits.