In Al hanissim we say, "L'hodot u'lhalel l'shimcha hagadol." These are special days of praise and thankfulness. Expressing gratitude and appreciation for Hashem's kindness changes our consciousness. It helps us see the light of His caring and constant mercy. We all carry with us difficult memories of times when Hashem's presence seemed hidden. But these memories can be transformed. We can dispose of all our negative baggage and develop a world within us in which there is goodness and light by being grateful for the kindness hidden in the suffering. During the Syrian-Greek rule, our enemies oppressed us and forced us to make choices. People had to decide whether to align themselves with Hashem or with the Hellenists. We must also ask ourselves, "Who do we really want to be?"
The verse in Tehilim says, "Hashem's candle is the human soul, it searches man's inner chambers." Our souls never change, though our awareness may lessen. There is a part within us that stays eternally lit no matter how hidden it may be. During the time of the Beit Hamikdash a person could sense the Shechina. People regularly felt the connection and inspiration that one only feels a few times in life. After the destruction, that light was dimmed.
The word ner (candle) is composed of the initial letters of the words nefesh and ruach, soul and spirit. Nefesh is related to nofesh, vacation. There is an aspect of the soul that rests within the walls of the body that we can only get at with the senses. When we hear or see something that inspires us, our nefesh is momentarily awakened. Above that is ruach (wind), the part of the soul that cannot be put it into words, the part that moves us and brings us to tears. When we do a mitzvah with love and fear using our 248 limbs, the body itself becomes a candle illuminating the hidden mishkan within us. At the time of the Chanukah miracle, we lost some of the ahavah and yirah, and with them the ability to be who we could be. But we still had the will to grow in Hashem's ways and in this merit we found the pure cruse of oil. This is the miracle of Chanukah. Although our inner ner may be buried under layers of dross and sin, if we have the passion and desire to grow Hashem will give us the ability to find it.
The tool against hergel (habitual actions) is sechel. We should ask ourselves, "Will this action help me achieve me goals?" Sechel gives us the light to get past the dark parts of our personalities and to find our higher, truer selves. Goodness and hidden purity can be found in any aspect of ourselves, even within the physical parts of our body. On Chanukah we can find the light within our darkest place. We can yearn for the Beit Hamikdash to be rebuilt, not only in Yerushalayim, but within ourselves.
