הלא אמרתי אליכם לאמר אל תחטאו בילד
And Reuven answered them, saying, “Spoke I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.”
Bereishis Rabbah 91:8.
Sefaria · Bereishis Rabbah 91:8
הֲלוֹא אָמַרְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם. רְאוּבֵן מַזְכִּיר אֶת מַחָאתוֹ הַקְּדוּמָה, אַךְ לֹא מַצִּיל אֶת הַמַּצָּב.
English: Bereishis Rabbah 91:8 preserves Reuven’s earlier warning and his rebuke of the brothers after they acknowledge their guilt.
On the daf / in context: The midrash notes that Reuven’s “I told you so” is both a claim of relative innocence and an admission that the collective guilt still stands; the blood is still being required.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Even the brother who had tried to prevent the sale is swept into the consequences; past good intention does not cancel present collective accountability.