The lesson is that there is great kedushah and light in these days, but the first step is to ignite one's heart and desire for the mitzvos. When he has hislahavus for the mitzvah, he has made a good preparation to receive the kedushah of the mitzvos.
16. Rebbe Dovid Moshe of Tchortkov zt'l related that there was a person who was prone to sadness and depression. The Apter Rav zt'l advised him to look at the Chanukah lecht. He followed that advice and was healed. (Binas Yisrael, Chanukah שמעתי ה"ד).
17. The Divrei Chaim zt'l teaches: An expert doctor can diagnose an illness by looking into his patient's eyes, and he would know how to treat that illness. Similarly, by looking into the Chanukah lecht, one can attain a spiritual refuah for all ailments of his neshamah. We say, לראותם אלא בהם להשתמש רשות לנו ואין. The Divrei Chaim translates these words as, “We don’t have permission to use the lecht, only through looking at them." This implies that looking at the Chanukah lecht is how we use the lecht. This is because by looking at them, we achieve spiritual purity and growth.
Nesivos Shalom zt'l (Chanukah p.85) explains the pasuk (Tehillim 30:6) באפו רגע כי, "For His wrath lasts but a moment," that באפו is gematria חנוכה (as is written in the holy sefarim). The pasuk is saying באפו רגע כי, that on Chanukah, one can attain purity in a moment. It is generally hard to correct one's evil deeds and destructive habits, but by looking intently at the Chanukah lecht, everything can be rectified in a moment.
This is also alluded to in the pasuk (Tehillim 91:8) תראה רשעים ושלמת תביט בעיניך רק, " You will but gaze with your eyes, and the retribution of the wicked shall you see." By merely gazing at the Chanukah lecht, שלמת, one attains sheleimus, perfection, רשעים, in all areas where he is lacking and still considered a rasha.
The Nesivos Shalom says, "When a Yid says the brachos on the Chanukah lecht and looks at them and accepts on himself that from now on he won't return to his foolish ways, with the strength of Chanukah, this is sufficient to rectify everything in just one moment.
18. Leket Yosher (p.43) writes that his rebbe, the Terumas HaDeshen, would recite chapter ט"קי of Tehillim every day of the year.
Gazing at the Chanukah Lecht
The brachos and the lighting of the Chanukah lecht can be done relatively quickly, but many spend half an hour looking at the Chanukah lecht, praying and praising Hashem.
Chavas Ya’ir ('ב ב"תרע חיים מקור הגהות) writes, “In my opinion, the essential part of the mitzvah is that the one who lit the lecht should stay near the lecht for a half hour and look at them and be happy with them.” Yeitav Panim writes, “The minhag in Klal Yisrael is to sit and gaze at the lecht. This draws down the miracles of Chanukah.”
The Yismach Yisrael zt’l said that those who have pure eyes can see Hashem’s name ה“הוי shining on the Chanukah lecht.
It states (Bamidbar 21:8), על אותו ושים שרף לך עשה וחי אותו וראה הנשוך כל והיה נס . This pasuk hints at the brachos of Chanukah. שרף is a hint at the brachah, חנוכה נר להדליק, because שרף means to burn. נס על אותו ושים is the brachah ניסים שעשה לאבותינו . And וחי hints at שהחיינו. Literally, the pasuk means, “Make a snake, place it on a staff, and whoever was bitten will see it and live.” In relation to Chanukah, we can explain that if someone was bitten by the snake, the yetzer hara, the solution is to gaze at the Chanukah lecht, וחי אותו וראה, and he will become like a new person.
The Beis Avraham (רק ה"ד 'ד נר) says that אלא בלבד לראותם implies that looking at Chanukah lecht is a refuah and rectification for sins related to guarding the eyes.
Sefer Zechirah (69:1) writes, “A segulah that helps to be protected the entire year is to say seven times (Tehillim 91) עליון בסתר יושב, each night of Chanukah after lighting the candles." Some say chapter ט"קי in Tehillim because it has many requests for success in Torah and mitzvos.
