Why is it permitted to add to the value of the afternoon Begadim? The next
line in the Gemara teaches that the morning Begadim must be worth *more*
than the afternoon Begadim!
(a) The RITVA writes that the Gemara does not mean that the Kohen may give
any value he wants to the afternoon Begadim. Rather, he may add to them as
the morning Begadim remains worth more.
(b) The RAMBAM (Hilchos Klei ha'Mikdash 8:3) makes no mention of the
limitation of having the morning Begadim worth more than the afternoon
Begadim. He writes only that one may add to the value of the Begadim as he
wishes. He does not mention that the morning Begadim must be worth more.
RABEINU YEHONASAN M'LUNIL also explains that the Gemara means that one may
add to the value of the afternoon Begadim even if one makes them worth more
than the morning Begadim. How, then, do they learn the next line of the
Gemara that says that the morning Begadim must be worth more?
The SI'ACH YITZCHAK explains that when the Mishnah and the Gemara say that
the morning Begadim were worth more, they mean merely that the *common
practice* of the Kohanim was to spend more on the morning Begadim, but not
that there is any obligation to do so.
However, he does not explain what the Gemara means when it says "Mena Lan"
and asks from where do we know that the morning Begadim must be worth more.
According to his explanation, why does the Gemara cite a verse and say that
*the verse* teaches that the morning Begadim are worth more?
Perhaps the answer is as follows. The GEVURAS ARI questions what the source
is for the statement that the minimum value of the clothing is 30 Manah?
There Gemara does not seem to bring any source for that. The Gevuras Ari
says that it must be a Halachah l'Moshe mi'Sinai.
Perhaps the Rambam learned that when the Gemara asked "Mena Lan," it was not
asking for the source that the morning Begadim must be worth more than the
afternoon Begadim. Rather, it was asking for the source that the total value
of the clothing is 30 Manah! The Gemara answers that the word "Bad"
("linen") appears four times in the verse discussing the morning Avodah of
the Kohen Gadol. It says the word "Bad" one more time in the verse
discussing the afternoon Avodah, for a total of five times. The Gematriya of
the word "Bad" is six, and since the word "Bad" appears five times, that
gives us a total of 30! From there we learn that the Begadim must be made of
the finest linen, and that the two sets of Begadim together must be worth at
least 30 Manah. The verse, though, is not teaching that there is a Mitzvah
to make the morning Begadim worth *more* than the afternoon garments.
However, what about the next question of the Gemara? The Gemara asks how the
verse in Yechezkel can intimate that the Kohen Gadol wears more important
Begadim in the afternoon than in the morning, seemingly assuming that the
morning Begadim must be worth more than the afternoon Begadim! The answer is
that the Rambam's text had this later on in the Gemara, as a question on Rav
Huna's statement that a Kohen can wear the Ketones that his mother made when
he performs an Avodas Yachid. This indeed was the original Girsa before
Rashi changed it, and the ME'IRI explains this Girsa in detail. (M.
Kornfeld)