Chanukah is Very Precious | Kislev תשנ"א
The Rambam wrote as follows:
The mitzvah of Chanukah lights is a very precious mitzvah, and a person needs to make sure he performs it, and makes the miracle known, and adds praise of G-d and thanks to Him for the miracles He did for us.
In addition to Chanukah’s special preciousness, early Torah sources mention wonderful allusions and minhagim for these days. We will mention some of them here.
First of all are the words of Chazal themselves, who exhorted us to make sure to perform the mitzvah of Chanukah lights, and who stated that someone who regularly kindles lights will merit children who are talmidei chachamim.
It is written in Sefer Bnei Yisas’char that the rabbis of former generations were wont to say that on Chanukah we can arouse Heaven to grant children to the childless, like on Rosh Hashanah, when Sarah Imeinu and Channah were granted children. This segulah applies mainly on the last day of Chanukah, called Zos Chanukah. Nevertheless, there is an allusion that it applies all of Chanukah, because the gematriya of מתתיהו is the same as that of השנה ראש.
R. David from Dinov wrote that he heard from his father, the great R. Tzvi Elimelech, that Tzaddikim say that in heaven, from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Chanukah, there is a shining image similar to a hand outstretched to receive those returnees who, for some reason, were pushed away from returning to Hashem during Aseres Yemei Teshuvah. Their teshuvah is accepted until Chanukah, and this continues until the very last day of Chanukah, called Zos Chanukah. There is an allusion to this in the following verse: בזאת יכופר עון יעקב – In this (Zos) the sin of Yaakov will be atoned.
This alludes to the final day of Chanukah, on which we read the Torah portion of וזאת חנוכת המזבח. Until then is the final atonement of the sin of “Yaakov,” of the Jewish people.
It says in Likutei Maharil that Chanukah is the finalization of the seal on the judgment of Yom Kippur. It is written as follows in Sefer Yesod v’Shoresh Ha’avodah:
It says in Torah sources that these days [of Chanukah] have a great segulah for rectifying the blemishes of one’s soul by giving tzedakah, especially to support Torah learners.
