The laws of Chanukah begin in Shulchan Aruch with the simanim (תרעא .(תרעא-תרע or תרע in Aramaic means gate. The Beis Yisrael zy'a said this is because on Chanukah, the gates of heaven are opened, and everyone can enter.
The Gemara (Shabbos 21:) asks, חנוכה מאי. The Ben ish Chai (Ben Yehoyodah) explains that the Gemara is asking: "Why is it called חנוכה, with a ה at the end of the word? Chanukah means chinuch, and it is named for the chanukas hamizbeiach, the rededication of the mizbeiach that took place at that time. So, it should be called חנוך, not חנוכה."
After asking the question חנוכה מאי, the Gemara relates the story of Chanukah and concludes that the following year they established it as a yom tov. As we explained, when the chachamim saw that the miracles returned each year, they established it as an annual holiday. We now have the answer to the question. חנוכה מאי, why is it called Chanukah? Why isn't it called חנוך? The heh makes the word feminine, indicating birth. They recognized that miracles would give birth to more miracles. It wasn't a miracle for a particular time, rather it will grow and bear fruit yearly. This is why it is called חנוכה.
Annual Miracles
The Kedushas Levi writes, "Due to the righteousness of Matisyahu ben Yochanan Kohen Gadol and his children, the gates of chesed and miracles open during the eight days of Chanukah. It is possible the gates open when we light the Chanukah lecht and when we say Hallel and Al HaNisim. These draw down the chesed and miracles below."
The miracles recur each year. Chazal (Shabbos 21:) say, קבעום האחרת לשנה, והודאה בהלל, that the chachamim established Chanukah as a holiday "on the following year." Why did they wait a year to establish Chanukah? They should have established Chanukah as an annual holiday immediately. The Kedushas Levi (Kedushah Rishonah) and the Ben Ish Chai (Ben Yohayada) explain that initially, they thought that the miracles of Chanukah were a one-time matter, a miracle to save the Yidden during that particular time from the Yevanim. But the following year, the chachamim perceived that the miracles were still in the air. They understood that the miracles of Chanukah would recur each year, so they established Chanukah as a holiday.
We can also say that אחרת לשנה means "a different kind of year," and it is referring to the same year that the miracles occurred. The chachamim understood that it was a "different year" שנה אחרת. People were more spiritual, more miracles and chesed came to the world. Avodas Hashem was more filled with light and passion. When the chachamim understood how Chanukah affected the Jewish nation for the better, they established it as an annual holiday.
In parashas Toldos, the Torah tells how Yaakov Avinu received the brachos from Yitzchak Avinu. The word לו is repeated several times in the pesukim. (27:25-27) ויגש לו ויאכל ויבא לו וישת יין לו וישק לו. The Tzvi l'Tzaddik (Bluzhev) zt'l explains that לו stands for the thirty-six Chanukah lecht. We receive Yitzchak's brachos each year when we light the Chanukah lecht.
