אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִמָּצֵ֥א אִתּ֛וֹ מֵעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ וָמֵ֑ת וְגַם־אֲנַ֕חְנוּ נִֽהְיֶ֥ה לַֽאדֹנִ֖י לַעֲבָדִֽים׃
With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.
Classical midrash on the brothers’ excessive self-imposed penalty.
Sefaria · Bereshit Rabbah (context)
אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא אִתּוֹ... וָמֵת. הָאַחִים מַחְמִירִים עַל עַצְמָם יוֹתֵר מִן הָרָאוּי.
English of Core Text: “With whomsoever it be found… let him die.” The brothers impose upon themselves a penalty stricter than necessary.
On the daf / in context: The midrash observes that the brothers’ rash oath opens the door for the very crisis that follows; their overconfidence becomes the instrument of the final test.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: An excessive self-curse can become the means by which Heaven advances the process of reckoning; the brothers’ bold declaration sets the stage for the discovery in Binyamin’s sack.