Grave of Rebbe Nachman - circa 1920 (man at entrance - Reb Alter Tepliker הי"ד)

Sunday, October 5, 2025

The Sukkah: Protection from the Chamber of Exchanges

 BH


The World Upside Down

In recent years, especially since Simchat Torah two years ago, the world has seemed to unravel. From the horrific attacks near Gaza to the rise in violence and antisemitism across the globe—from Manchester to America to Israel—everything feels unstable. But more than the physical danger, what’s most disturbing is the sheker, the overwhelming wave of falsehood now sweeping across the world.

It’s not just that lies exist; it’s that people knowingly embrace them. Even when truth is shown openly, even when evidence is irrefutable, many refuse to accept it. Reality is being inverted—darkness is called light, lies are presented as truth—and it’s enough to make a person sick from the confusion. What are we supposed to do? How can we stand strong in such chaos?

The Source of Falsehood

Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson reveal that all of this confusion comes from a spiritual source called the Chamber of Exchanges (Heichal HaTemurot). Reb Noson writes in Likutey Halachot (Orach Chaim, Laws of Hoda’ah 6:12) that every falsehood in the world—every inversion of good and evil, light and dark—comes from there. The Chamber of Exchanges is the power of evil to swap: to trade light for darkness, good for bad, truth for lies.

Today we’re witnessing this force at its peak. The fact that so much sheker has burst forth all at once means the Chamber of Exchanges is fighting its final battle. Rebbe Nachman teaches that when evil senses its downfall is near, it lashes out with its last, desperate strike. The surge of confusion we’re experiencing may be proof that we are very close to the coming of Mashiach—evil knows its end is near, so it throws all its remaining power into one final blow.

The Power Source of Evil

However, there’s another deeper reason for the Chamber’s power surge. Rebbe Nachman explains that the evil side draws its energy from human sadness and depression. Every time a person falls into despair, feels worthless, confused, or spiritually paralyzed, that emotional darkness becomes nourishment for evil. The purpose of the “exchange” itself—the swapping of truth for falsehood—is to drag a person into misery, so that the forces of evil can feed off and on that energy.

And in our generation, when confusion and anxiety are everywhere, when depression has become a global condition, the Chamber of Exchanges has more fuel than ever. This is why we see falsehood spreading so aggressively—it’s being powered by human sadness.

The Response: Joy as Resistance

Rebbe Nachman’s answer is both simple and radical: be happy. The more we cling to joy, especially joy in serving Hashem, the less we feed the Chamber of Exchanges. Depression empowers evil; joy weakens it. When we choose to celebrate, to find light even in darkness, to serve Hashem with simcha, we cut off the energy supply of falsehood itself.

Our generation’s greatest battle isn’t fought on the streets or online—it’s fought in the heart. Every moment of happiness, every song, every act of gratitude and faith becomes a spiritual shield. And nowhere is this lesson embodied more clearly than in the mitzvah of the Sukkah, which surrounds us with the light of joy and Divine protection.

The gift of Yom Kippur is that it’s not only a day of atonement but also a day of restoration

The Only True Happiness

Rebbe Nachman teaches that real joy is only possible when it’s rooted in Yiddishkeit. There’s nothing in this empty, passing world to be happy about unless it’s connected to serving Hashem. The joy of a Jew is knowing: I’m not a heathen. Hashem made me a Jew. I do mitzvot every day that connect me to eternity.

Even the simplest act, like saying a bracha on your tallit, connects you to the Infinite Light—something eternal, something that can never be taken away. That alone is reason to rejoice endlessly.

But for a person without emunah, this joy is inaccessible. He remains trapped in the Chamber of Exchanges, imprisoned in falsehood and confusion. The moment a Jew activates even a minimal level of faith, that spark of emunah is enough to pierce the illusion, to escape the Chamber, and to access joy. That joy becomes his weapon.

Sukkot: The Season of Joy

Sukkot is called Zman Simchateinu—the Time of Our Joy. Pesach is the time of freedom (Zman Cheiruteinu), and Shavuot is the time of receiving the Torah (Zman Matan Torateinu). But Sukkot stands apart. It’s not described as the time of remembrance for the Clouds of Glory—it’s defined simply as joy itself.

Why? Because Sukkot embodies the simplicity of connection to Hashem. We leave the comfort of our permanent homes and enter a temporary hut made of boards and palm branches, a fragile space open to the sky. And we are happy. In this humility and simplicity, we rediscover what it means to be close to Hashem.

The Sukkah as a Spiritual Shield

The sechach—the thatched roof of the sukkah—also means “protection.” The sukkah shelters from the spiritual storms of the Chamber of Exchanges. When the world outside is flooded with lies and confusion, the sukkah becomes our ark, just as Noah’s Ark protected him from the floodwaters of chaos.

Reb Noson explains that the sukkah serves as a spiritual refuge from the turbulence of the world. Inside the sukkah, the Divine Presence rests, enveloping us in light and serenity. It’s the space where joy thrives, where the noise of the world cannot penetrate.

Living in the Sukkah

Our greatest weapon now, more than at any other time, is the sukkah itself. Spend as much time as possible within its holy shade. Eat, sleep, learn, sing, and rejoice there. Bring your family, your conversations, your insights—your whole life—into the sukkah. Let it become your base of joy and protection.

The Sages use the term of spending time in the sukkah to a vacation with Hashem. Every moment spent there strengthens your connection to Him and shields you from the negativity of the Chamber of Exchanges. Within its simple walls, we experience the essence of true happiness—the kind that no falsehood can touch.

The Joy That Protects

This is the secret of Zman Simchateinu. By rejoicing in the sukkah, we weaken the Chamber of Exchanges and strip the forces of evil of their nourishment. Our simcha becomes a shield, our sukkah a fortress of light.

When we choose joy, we dismantle falsehood. When we dwell in the sukkah, we step out of confusion and into clarity. And when we live our Yiddishkeit with faith and gratitude, we merit to draw Hashem’s Infinite Light into the world and bring closer the ultimate redemption, b’simcha rabbah, with great joy.

Chag Sameach, and may your sukkah be filled with light, joy, and protection.

Meir Elkabas

This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-sukkah-protection-from-the-chamber-of-exchanges/ 

For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/Ud6rek0_2-8


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