(a) Right at the bottom of the daf, the gemara relates a story regarding R. Chanina. In your answer #5(c), you say: "When Rebbi Chanina (ben Dosa - Agados Maharsha) ate half an onion with half its poison - he nearly died. He was saved by his colleagues, who prayed - successfully - for his recovery."
As you pointed out, the Maharsha says that this is the famous Rebbi Chanina ben Dosa, who, in many places in Shas (one just recenly regarding a ma'aseh with an 'upstairs room', was it in Mes. Nidda?) we see him praying very successfully for the recovery of others. He apparently has "special powers" or "special understanding" of how to arrange his prayers, and he was answered.
(b) The Maharsha asks: Why didn't R. Chanina pray for his own recovery? He certainly has the powers! He answers that when a person is a prisoner, he must depend on others to come and free him; meaning, when a person is sick, it's the prayer of others that are effective. This seems to conflict with the idea we learn in Sefer Bereishis. We see many times that the Avos and Imahos prayed for their own needs and to relieve their own afflictions, and Rashi seems to remind us frequently in these cases that Hash-m sent the affliction to them because He wants to hear the prayers of the righteous. Aren't we also told that in the Shemoneh Esray, that when we are praying for our own recovery, our prayers are more powerful? I'm sure Hash-m wants to hear everyone's prayer, including those praying for the one in need, but here, it seems the gemara is going out of it's way to make the opposite point. Why?
warm regards,
Jeff Ram
(a) The Gemara that you refer to is in Berachos (34b).
(b) Good question. The Rishonim ask this question. The following is what we wrote to someone who asked a similar question:
Berachos 5b: Freeing one's self
EliezerE@aol.com asked:
I've got a serious problem with the statement 'ein chavush mattir atzmo
mibais ha'asurim" Rashi in the story of Yishmael "ba'asher hu shum" says
that the best tefillo is that of a cholleh for himself, even more than
other's on his behalf. So if a tefillo for yourself is the best, why would
there be a rule of ein chavush?
Your question is addressed by the Rishonim in Vayera. Chizkuni (Bereishis 21:15) answers that the reason our Gemara states that 'ein chavush mattir atzmo mibais ha'asurim' is because most sick people cannot concentrate properly on their prayers. If they do, their own prayers are answered before any others.
Support for this answer can be drawn from Rosh Hashanah 18a: "Two people fell sick, both prayed, why was one saved and the other not? Because one prayed properly and concentrated on his prayer, while the other did not."