The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand cited the Medrash Tanchuma about the mitzva of the Menorah. The Jews said to Hashem, you are asking us to make a light in the Beis HaMikdash/Mishkan - but you are the light of the world. Why do you need our light? To this Hashem responds - I don't need your light. But for 40 years in the desert I lit the way for you. Now I am giving you the opportunity to repay the favor.
R' Frand quoted R' Yerucham - the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva who observed that when you do someone a favor, they will say universally in response - it's nothing. A person may say that its proof that the doer is a good guy. But R' Yerucham says that this is a negative, because the doer wants you to feel like you owe him. So if you want to be a nice guy, think of something he can do for you so that he feels whole. This is what the Medrash Tanchuma is telling us - it may be symbolic, but light the Menorah and repay the favor.
R' Frand mentioned the story of Shimshon - Manoach and his wife were barren and the angel came and told them they would have a child. Thereafter the angel disappeared and never came back. The Navi writes that because of that, they knew he was an angel. Why? Because a human who helps another with a significant task comes back to get a thank you.
R' Frand closed the vort by telling a story of the Brisker Rav who married off several sons at a wedding hall called "Vagshal." The caterer told the Brisker Rav that the wedding was on him, but the Brisker Rav turned him down. Why? He said that the most expensive things are what I get for free, because now I feel like I owe something.
R' Frand also said a vort on the Megillah as well. The Gemara in Megillah learns out from the לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר that the Jews had specific miztvos - now they had Yom Tov, Milla, Tefillin & Torah. But does that mean that they did not have those before?
R' Frand quoted the Chasam Sofer who observed that the mitzva of Kiddush Hashem and Chillul Hashem are next to each other in the same pasuk. He linked this to a Gemara in Sanhedrin about Chanya Mishael & Azarya who we know nothing about after they were saved from the fiery furnace. The Gemara gives multiple answers, including that they drowned in spit. The Maharsha explains that after the incident the non-Jews spat on the Jews. Why? Because they came to the Jews and said you are idiots - you have a G-d that performs miracles and you worship idols? This was so despicable that they spat on them. The Maharsha explains that wherever they went, people would say - you were saved from the fire and yet the Jews worship idols. They had to die to prevent this from occurring.
This is why Kiddush Hashem is next to Chillul Hashem. If Hashem performs miracles and they don't change, its a Chillul Hashem. And according to the Chasam Sofer - this explains the pasuk in the Megillah. After the miracles were performed, all the mitzvos were different and more meaningful and there was a new simcha and a renaissance of Judaism.
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