Kohain Gadol wearing Bigdai Lavan

Every Kohain who served in the Bais Hamikdash wore four garments, termed the Bigdei Kohain Hedyot ( the garments of the ordinary Kohain ).
They were:

Kesones, the shirt
Michnasayim, the breeches
Avnait, the belt
Migba'as, the turban.

The Kesones was a shirt- like garment. It was woven from white linen and had a checkered design. Its sleeves were woven from white linen separately and sewn to it. It reached down to the Kohain's soles.

The Avnait was a belt worn on top of the Kesones. It was thirty-two amos long and was wound around the Kohain's waist. The avnait of the Kohain Hedyot was woven from four different kinds of material. However, the avnait that the Kohain Gadol wore on Yom Kippur was composed of linen only.

The Michnasayim were short and covered by the Kesones. They were woven from white linen.

The Migba'as consisted of long ribbon of white linen that was wound around the Kohain's head several times. In the case of an ordinary Kohain, it was wound so that it became a point on top. For the Kohain Gadol it was wound into a round shape and was called the Mitznefes.

All text and graphics are from the book "The Yom Kippur Avodah," by Rabbi Menachem Moshe Oppen, illustrations by Shepsil Scheinberg, © C.I.S. Publishers,1997 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. We welcome your questions and comments .