Undeserved Kindness
Machzor Vitri writes that חנוכה comes from the word חנינה (or חנם), to give gifts, even to those who don't deserve them. The Ruzhiner zt'l explains, "On חנוכה, Hashem gives us bounty, similar to the blessings that descend on Rosh Hashanah. The difference is that on Rosh Hashanah, we receive the bounty solely if we are worthy, and on Chanukah, we receive the bounty even if we don't deserve it."
Rashi (Bereishis 8:11) says that the dove that Noach sent from the teivah said, "Ribono Shel Olam! May my parnassah be bitter like an olive, but given from Your hands, and not sweet like honey, given by a human being." Rebbe Moshe of Razvadov zt'l says that these words hint at Chanukah. The dove represents the Jewish nation (see Brachos 53:). They say to Hashem, "כזית מרורין מזונותי יהיו, let my parnassah come from Chanukah when we use שמן זית, olive oil, ה"הקב של בידו because then the parnassah comes from Hakadosh Baruch Hu's compassionate hand. We prefer that over the parnassah that comes from Rosh Hashanah, כדבש מתוקין, the time of year when we eat an apple with honey because then it is ודם בשר בידי, dependent on man's deeds. If one deserves, he receives; if he doesn’t deserve, he doesn't."
Parnassah and all the brachos come when we light Chanukah lecht, but that shouldn't be our focus. We light the lecht because it is a mitzvah and because we want to publicize the nisim. The parnassah and bounty will certainly come in this merit, but we shouldn't think about that when we perform the mitzvah. This is hinted in Chazal (Shabbos 22.), חנוכה נר כנגד מעות להרצות אסור. We can translate it to mean, “It is forbidden to want money when lighting the Chanukah candles.” However, when we perform the mitzvah properly, we will receive many brachos and yeshuos, b'ruchniyos and b'gashmiyos.
You Are the Kohen Gadol, and Your Home is the Beis HaMikdash
The Midrash (Tanchuma, Behaloscha) says that Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Moshe to tell Aharon that he has the best portion. "When the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed, the korbanos will end, but your portion is to light the menorah, and that will remain forever."
The Ramban asks that lighting the menorah also ended when the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed! In what way was Aharon's portion more significant?
The Ramban answers, "The Midrash must be referring to the mitzvah of Chanukah lecht. This continues after the Churban..."
The Yismach Yisrael (Behaloscha 4) says that we understand from this Ramban that when one lights Chanukah lecht, it is a continuation of the Beis HaMikdash, and the person who lights the candles is like the kohen gadol lighting the menorah in the Beis HaMikdash. The simplest Yid becomes like a kohen gadol, and his home becomes a Beis HaMikdash when he lights the Chanukah lecht.
We say in Al HaNissim בחצרות נרות הדליקו קדשיך, that the kohanim lit the menorah in the courtyards. The miforshim ask that the menorah was lit in the Heichal and not in the courtyard/חצר of the Beis HaMikdash.
The Sar Shalom of Belz zt'l answers that we are referring to the courtyards of every Jewish home. On Chanukah, one's courtyard (where he lights Chanukah lecht) becomes קדשיך חצרות, holy like the Beis HaMikdash.
The Rishonim teach that Chanukah lecht resemble the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash. For example, the Ran (Shabbos 21.) explains why we may not derive pleasure from the Chanukah lecht. He writes, "The mitzvah was established because of the miracle that occurred with the Menorah. Therefore, they made its laws similar to the Menorah. This is why it is forbidden to derive any pleasure from it."
Also, the Kol Bo (siman 44) discusses the minhag that some people have to change the wicks of the Chanukah menorah every day. He says it is in memory of the wicks of the Menorah, which were changed each night.
In הללו הנרות, we say בהם להשתמש רשות לנו ואין בלבד לראותם אלא "We don't have permission to use the Chanukah lecht, only to see them." Isn't it obvious that we may see the Chanukah lecht? Why does this need to be mentioned? The answer is that there is a prohibition to gaze at and enjoy the beauty of the lights of the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash (see Pesachim 26.). The Chanukah lecht are similar to the Menorah of the Beis HaMikdash, and this is the reason it had to be spelled out that we are permitted to look at the Chanukah lecht.
The Chiddushei HaRim zt'l said that lighting the Chanukah lecht is in some ways even greater than the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash. If the lamps of the Menorah of the Beis HaMikdash were blown out, the kohen is obligated to light them again. But when the Chanukah lecht become extinguished, they don't need to be relit. This is because the light of the Chanukah menorah shines in the neshamah of the Jewish nation, even after the light was extinguished.
Reb Chaim Palagi (Refuah v'Chaim 71) quotes the Zohar that when the kohen lit the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash, there was rachamim in the world, similar to when we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Reb Chaim Palagi says this also occurs when we light the Chanukah lecht. Immense rachamim flows, similar to what is achieved with the shofar, and midas hadin turns around and becomes rachamim.
