וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֔יו לָ֚מָּה יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֲדֹנִ֔י כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה חָלִ֙ילָה֙ לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ מֵעֲשׂ֖וֹת כַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
And they said unto him, “Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing.”
Classical midrash on the brothers’ indignation.
Sefaria · Bereshit Rabbah (context)
חָלִילָה לַעֲבָדֶיךָ מֵעֲשׂוֹת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה. הָאַחִים מַבִּיעִים זַעַם כֵּן נֶגֶד הָאֲשָׁמָה.
English of Core Text: “Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing.” The brothers express genuine indignation at the accusation.
On the daf / in context: The midrash notes that the protest is sincere; the brothers truly believe themselves incapable of the theft of which they are about to be accused.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: The brothers’ first reaction is moral outrage; they cannot imagine that any of them would steal the cup, setting up the deeper shock when it is found with Binyamin.