The gemora at the bottom of 75a quotes the pasuk in Shemot -- over there is says in a later pasuk that the meat was descended "bain haarbayim" which is the afternoon -- but rashi top of 75b says that it was given late at night? is it not true that meat descended at two separate intervals -- the first was k'hogen and the second was not? if so, why does the gemorah quote the pasuk from shemot, which i thought was the k'hogen (and the pasuk in badmidbar shelo chogan)? if both parshas are referring to the same meat then why mention them separately (one in shemot and one in badmidbar)? thank you.
Eli Shemtob, Jerusalem
Firstly, if you will look at Rashi in Parshas Re'ei (16:6) you will see that 'Erev' is sometimes synonymous with 'Bein ha'Arbayim'. That is not to say that it always is (we find for example, that "ba'Erev Tochlu Matzos" means after nightfall, and not the afternoon), but that sometimes it is. And that certainly appears to be the case here in Parshas Shemos, where the Torah specifically refers to the same period using both terms.
Secondly, Rashi specifically comments in Shemos (16:8) that the quails fell "ba'Erev" because they asked in a not nice way. By the way, which Pasuk in Bamidbar (Beha'aloscha) are you referring to?
The only problem is the Rashi (on 75b), who interprets 'Niten Lahem she'Lo ke'Hogen' to mean that it fell 'at night-time as it was about to become dark' (not late at night, as you suggested) when it is not fit to prepare before the time for the night meal arrives. If, as we explained, they collected the quails starting from midday, or shortly afterwards, it is unclear why, though it is true that many of them had to walk a long distance (there and back). Add to that the preparing time, they would have had difficulty in having it ready on time for the evening meal (and particularly on Erev Shabbos when it had to be prepared before sunset).
Note that Rabeinu Bachye (following in the footsteps of the Ramban) explains the Gemara quite differently. Citing Chazal, he informs us that prior to this period, people had no fixed meal-times, and that it was Moshe Rabeinu who now fixed two meals per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. And based on the concept associating morning with Chesed, and evening, with Din, he interprets the Gemara in Yoma accordingly. What the Gemara now means is that since they asked for bread ke'Hogen, Moshe fixed the morning (Chesed) meal on bread; whereas the evening (Din) meal he fixed on meat, because they asked for it she'Lo ke'Hogen.
According to R. Bachye, it transpires that they gathered the Man (Manna) during the morning, in order to eat it at the end of the morning (at a time that denoted Chesed), whereas the quails they collected during the afternoon, in order to eat them for their evening meal (at a time that denotes Din).
be'Virchas Kol Tuv
Eliezer Chrysler