Commentary for Avodah Zarah 100:2
אמר רב ששת אנא לא נגר אנא ולא בר נגר אנא ופריקנא ליה מאי קושיא ליה דרב גידל בעינא כעין פנים וליכא
R. Sheshet said: I am neither a carpenter nor a son of a carpenter, yet I can explain it. What was the difficulty? The statement of R. Gidel. [And the solution is] that we require [such an offering] to resemble what was offered within the Temple, and this is not the case here.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
Sheshet explains both the difficulty and the solution. The difficulty was how can we annul a sacrificial offering. If these stones are considered offerings they, unlike idols, can never be annulled. The answer is that for an offering to be prohibited it must be like something offered on the altar, and the stones are not like the offerings we put on the altar. The stones are more like an idol and therefore when the idolater treats them with a lack of sanctity, they become permitted.
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