Zevachim 38: The Blood of Offerings: Errors and Consequences

Our daf begins with prooftext which are argued to justify why offerings made incorrectly can affect atonement.  Examples include errors in where the blood is placed, where the blood is sprinkled, when the offering is made, etc.  The priest is said to both make atonement and be forgiven.  One example mentions women who bring offerings to the Temple after childbirth.  We are told that the length of days a woman should wait between childbirth and offering is disputed regarding the birth of a girl.  It is unclear whether she should wait ten weeks or seventy days, among other interpretations.  The rabbis create a halacha based on their best compromised guess.  

There are so many errors that we might make.  We could sprinkle the blood upward instead of downward.  We could make an offering piggul by having incorrect intent in some part of the process of offering.  The rabbis discuss meanings of words to ensure that they understand the precise meanings of each commanded action.  

Beit Hillel are said to be more lenient and Beit Shammai more stringent in their interpretations of placements of sin offerings.  They disagree as to how many intentions must be 'off' to make the offering piggul.  The numerous placements of blood for the sin offering are agreed to be most important at the start and at the end of this ritual.  We are reminded that time is important, for blood cannot be used for atonement after dark.  

We end our daf with a discussion about laundry.  When should a garment be laundered?  When is it rendered ritually impure by the blood of an offering?  The rabbis consider a garment to be ritual pure and not in need of laundering if it is sprayed directly by the blood of an animal without first touching an intermediary object (namely a vessel).  The rabbis also discuss whether a garment should be laundered if it sprayed by the blood directed toward the altar or the cover of the altar.