PDA's for G-d

בס"ד
We say in "Al HaNissim" that the Jews who triumphed over the Greeks lit candles in the holy courtyards ("...והדליקו נרות בחצרות קדשך...") referring to the miracle of the menorah.
The Shem MiShmuel asks – why refer to the menorah as standing in the courtyard of the Beis Hamikdash – it stood in the Heichal (sanctuary)?!
His answer will help us milk the last drops of inspiration from this incredible holiday.
The Greeks intentionally unpurified all the oil in the Beis HaMikdash. They were well aware of the value of purity – it was exactly that which they sought to destroy – our souls – our pure souls. The more internal something is, the holier it usually is, and the more resistant to tumah (impurity). That's why we refer to the neshama as having been placed inside our body (even though it is no more inside our kishkes that it is outside our noses). When the Greeks wanted to go after the Torah, the soul of the Jewish nation, they reasoned that if we were wallowing in impurity we wouldn’t be able to maintain our lofty souls. When we defeated them, however, the tide of the battle turned so decisively that we didn't only reclaim the internal "point of purity" (that 'Jewish spark' which is in every Jew – sometimes known as a 'pintele yid') we chased them back into their, external domain!
The Menorah didn’t just burn pure oil inside the Heichal of the Beis HaMikdash – it shined that light outward into the courtyard! That external shining, more than anything else, signified our victory. We took back our intimate connection with Hashem (through the Torah) and broadcast it through the public display of the shining lights.
As Chanukah closes and we say Al HaNissim those last few times – let us take a moment to reflect upon the close, intimate connection we have to Hashem – and then let that connection shine outwards! It could take the form of a Mitzva or Beracha performed loud and proud, even just walking with the surety of step and regal bearing of a crown prince or princess.

Shine on !!