וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ שְׁנֵ֣ים עָשָׂר֩ עֲבָדֶ֨יךָ אַחִ֧ים ׀ אֲנַ֛חְנוּ בְּנֵ֥י אִישׁ־אֶחָ֖ד בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וְהִנֵּ֨ה הַקָּטֹ֤ן אֶת־אָבִ֙ינוּ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם וְהָאֶחָ֖ד אֵינֶֽנּוּ׃
And they said, “We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.”
Classical midrash on the brothers’ self-description that includes the missing one.
וְהָאֶחָד אֵינֶנּוּ. הָאַחִים מַזְכִּירִים אֶת הֶעָדֶר בְּלִי לְגַלּוֹת אֶת הָאֱמֶת הַמְּלֵאָה.
English of Core Text: “And one is not.” The brothers mention the absence without revealing the full truth.
On the daf / in context: The midrash notes the carefully incomplete confession: they acknowledge that one is missing, yet still conceal the circumstances of the sale.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Even while claiming to be “true men,” the brothers still speak only partial truth about the missing brother; the full accounting remains for later.