The Gemara answers that the conflicting Mishnayos depend on the argument
between Aba Shaul and the Rabanan. When the Mishnah says that the Ketores is
brought before the Hatavas ha'Neros, it is in accordance with the opinion of
the Rabanan and is referring to the last two lamps of the Menorah. The
Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah, though, is done before the
Ketores. When the Mishnah says that the Ketores is done after the lamps of
the Menorah and that the *Zerikah* is done between the first five and the
last two lamps of the Menorah, it is expressing the opinion of Aba Shaul.
There is another blatant contradiction in the Mishnayos, concerning a
different part of the order of the Avodah. The Mishnah in Tamid that deals
with the actual performance of the Avodah says that the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach
is done before the Shechitah and the Zerikas ha'Dam of the Korban Tamid. The
Mishnah that deals with the order of the "drawing of lots" ("Payas") for the
Avodah, though, says that lots were drawn first for the Shechitah and the
Zerikah, and only afterwards for the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach! How will the
Gemara reconcile this contradiction?
(a) TOSFOS (14b, DH Amar Abaye) explains that this contradiction can be
reconciled the same way as the one dealt with in the Gemara. According to
the Rabanan, the Zerikah is done before starting the Hatavos ha'Neros (that
is, before the first five lamps of the Menorah). Consequently, it is also
done prior to the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach, which is the order of the Mishnah
which discusses the lots. The Zerikah was done at the beginning of the day's
Avodah, right after the Korban Tamid was slaughtered. Aba Shaul, though,
maintains that the Zerikah separated between the Hatavah of the first five
lamps of the Menorah and the Hatavah of the last two lamps of the Menorah,
and thus it had to be done later. Since it was done after the Hatavah of the
first five lamps of the Menorah, it was therefore also done after the Dishun
ha'Mizbe'ach (since the Dishun was done before the Hatavas ha'Neros).
However, this answer suffices to explain the order in the Mishnah of drawing
lots only according to Abaye, who asserts that the Mishnah of lots follows
the opinion of the Rabanan. That is why in that Mishnah the Zerikah is *not*
delayed until between the two Hatavos, but is done at the beginning of the
day. Rav Papa, though, holds that the Mishnah of lots is also following the
opinion of Aba Shaul, who holds that the Zerikah is done between the two
Hatavos. If so, why is the drawing of the lots for the Zerikah listed
*before* that of the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach? After all, Aba Shaul himself holds
that in practice, the Dishun is done before the Zerikah! (TOSFOS 15a, DH
Eima)
TOSFOS (ibid.) answers that it appears that according to Rav Papa, Aba Shaul
holds that the Dishun is done *after* the Zerikah in practice like the order
of the lots (and *both* are done between the two parts of Hatavas ha'Neros -
- but see Maharsa). The Mishnah in Tamid dealing with the actual performance
of the Avodah that mentions the Dishun first, even though it holds that the
Zerikah is done between the two Hatavos, apparently is the opinion of a
third Tana who agrees with Aba Shaul in one respect and argues in another.
He agrees with Aba Shaul that the Zerikah separates the two Hatavos, and he
argues and holds that the Dishun is done before everything else. (This
appears to be the intention of Tosfos, and this answers the questions posed
by the Rashash. Even though the order of the lots mentioned in Tamid also
list Dishun after the Zerikah, the Mishnayos in Tamid are expressing the
opinions of different Tana'im, as Rav Papa says in our Gemara regarding the
Mishnayos in Yoma.)
(c) The BARTENURA (Tamid 3:1) says that even though the Mishnah dealing with
the lots mentions Dishun after the Zerikah, it does not mean that it was
actually done afterwards. Rather, the Dishun was done first, before the
Zerikah. The Mishnah mentions the Payas of the Zerikah first because of the
importance of the Avodah of the Zerikah.
The RITVA (here) also explains that the order of the actual performance of
the Avodah is not the order of the Payas.
(d) The RASHASH in our Sugya suggests that the order of the Mishnah dealing
with the lots is not listing the Avodos in the order in which they were
started, but rather it is listing them in the order in which they were
*finished*. This is because the completion of the Avodah is more important.
Consequently, even though the Dishun was started first, it was finished only
when the ashes were carried away, which occurred after the Zerikas ha'Dam of
the Tamid was done.
(e) The TOSFOS HA'ROSH (Yoma 25a) suggests that the Shechitah and Zerikah
did not precede the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach, but it was nevertheless necessary
to choose the *Kohanim* who would perform those Avodos before choosing a
Kohen for the Dishun, since the ones who would be Shochet and Zorek
performed *another* service which indeed preceded the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach.
This service was bringing the lamb for the Korban Tamid from its place, and
checking it for blemishes, which was done even before the Dishun
ha'Mizbe'ach.
In a similar fashion, the VILNA GA'ON (in Tamid) says that the Kohen
performing the Zerikah is chosen first in the Mishnah of drawing lots not
because the Zerikah is done before the Dishun, but because the person who
performs the Zerikah must also perform the *Kabalas ha'Dam*, which is indeed
done before the Dishun.! The Zerikah was done only after the Dishun and
between the Hatavas ha'Neros in order to separate between the first five and
last two lamps of the Menorah. In the time that it takes the Kohen who does
the Kabalas ha'Dam to walk with the blood from where the Korban was
slaughtered to the Mizbe'ach (a hundred Amos or so), the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach
was performed as well as the Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah.
When the Kohen arrived with the blood at the Mizbe'ach, the Zerikah was
done, followed by the Hatavah of the last two lamps of the Menorah.