וַיַּ֩עַן֩ רְאוּבֵ֨ן אֹתָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲלוֹא֩ אָמַ֨רְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֧ם ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר אַל־תֶּחֶטְא֥וּ בַיֶּ֖לֶד וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וְגַם־דָּמ֖וֹ הִנֵּ֥ה נִדְרָֽשׁ׃
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.”
Classical midrash on Reuven’s reminder of his earlier protest.
הֲלוֹא אָמַרְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם. רְאוּבֵן מַזְכִּיר אֶת מַחָאתוֹ הַקְּדוּמָה, אַךְ לֹא מַצִּיל אֶת הַמַּצָּב.
English of Core Text: “Spoke I not unto you?” Reuven recalls his earlier protest, yet cannot undo the present distress.
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.