Once, Reb Shmuel Minkus zt'l felt that he needed chizuk in avodas Hashem, so he went to the marketplace and sought someone who could take him to Liadi, where his rebbe, the Baal HaTanya zt'l, lived. A merchant of hard drinks (vodka, etc.) told him he was traveling in that direction, but he only had space in the wagon's uncovered section next to the spirits' barrels. Reb Shmuel agreed and got on. It was cold in the uncovered wagon, and Reb Shmuel asked for permission to drink some vodka from the barrels to warm up. Permission was granted.
When Reb Shmuel came to the Baal HaTanya, he said shalom aleichem and tzeischem l'shalom simultaneously. "You just came!" the Baal HaTanya said. "Why are you leaving already?” "I came because I needed chizuk in avodas Hashem. However, I got my inspiration on the way here. Therefore, I can go home now." The Baal HaTanya asked, "What inspiration did you get?" Reb Shmuel said, "I sat among barrels of alcohol, but the barrels didn’t warm me up. I only warmed up when I drank the alcohol. I learned from this that it isn't sufficient to learn chassidic ideas. To warm up, one must allow these ideas to enter and to become part of his being."
The Beis Aharon zt'l teaches that we should say Tehillim on Chanukah. Certainly, one should say Tehillim on חנוכה זאת. The Yismach Yisrael (Chanukah 53) says that when the Torah says זאת, it refers to something one can see with his eyes.
