וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוּדָ֜ה אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל אָבִ֗יו שִׁלְחָ֥ה הַנַּ֛עַר אִתִּ֖י וְנָק֣וּמָה וְנֵלֵ֑כָה וְנִֽחְיֶה֙ וְלֹ֣א נָמ֔וּת גַּם־אֲנַ֥חְנוּ גַם־אַתָּ֖ה גַּם־טַפֵּֽנוּ׃
And Yehudah said unto Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.”
Classical midrash contrasting Yehudah’s approach with Reuven’s earlier offer.
שִׁלְחָה הַנַּעַר אִתִּי. יְהוּדָה מְדַבֵּר בְּלָשׁוֹן שֶׁל אַחֲרָיוּת מְלֵאָה, לֹא בְּלָשׁוֹן שֶׁל קׇרְבָּן.
English of Core Text: “Send the lad with me.” Yehudah speaks the language of full responsibility, not the language of sacrifice.
On the daf / in context: The midrash contrasts Yehudah’s sober, life-oriented plea with Reuven’s earlier extreme offer of his own sons; Yehudah’s words open the way for the journey.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Yehudah’s request is framed entirely in terms of life — “that we may live and not die” — and therefore succeeds where Reuven’s more dramatic proposal had failed.