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<font size=3>At 09:34 AM 11/21/2012, Chana Luntz wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Well while hakafos as we know
them may be 16th century (not clear), the<br>
minhag of dancing on Simchas Torah in some form goes back to the
geonim.<br>
The Beis Yosef in Orech Chaim siman 339:3 in discussing the prohibition
on<br>
dancing on shabbas and yom tov notes: "and the Meharik writes in
shoresh 9<br>
(unaf 2) in the name of Rabbanu Hai Gaon that on the day of Simchat Torah
it<br>
is permitted to dance at the time that they say praises of the torah
because<br>
they are accustomed to permit because of honour of the Torah since there
is<br>
only in it because of a rabbinical decree". <br><br>
Now it is fair to say that as the geonim were in Bavel, and therefore
had<br>
the one year cycle, maybe they weren't doing this in places where they
had a<br>
three year cycle - but you also have a possible hint in Talmud Bavli
Sukkah<br>
48a: "It was taught in a braita: [Devarim 16:16] "and it
will be completely<br>
joyous" this is to include the night of the last day of Yom Tov
[lelei yom<br>
tov haacharon." <br><br>
And there appear to be references to special piyutim being said and
special<br>
torches (of which people seem to have disapproved) in many sources - so
the<br>
evolution from piyutim and dancing to hakafos does not see that far to
me. </blockquote><br>
All of this is, again, in Ya'ari's sefer Toldos Chag Simchas
Torah.<br><br>
Permitting dancing on Simchas Torah is due to the fact that ST is
d'rabanan. However, in EY the dancing is done on Shemini
Atzeres which is D'oreisa. And this is why I think that Simchas
Torah has no place in EY. Dancing is not permitted on Shabbos or on
a Yom Tov that is D'oreisa, although today the Chassidim and, as a
result, others are maikel in this.<br><br>
From
<a href="http://www.torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5766/bo.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5766/bo.html<br><br>
</a></font><font face="arial" size=3><b>QUESTION:</b> Why did the Rabbis
restrict clapping and dancing on Shabbos and Yom Tov? <br><br>
<b>DISCUSSION:</b> The Talmud(5) records that the Rabbis prohibited
playing musical instruments on Shabbos and Yom Tov because musical
instruments often need to be tuned, a potential violation of the Shabbos
Labor of Makeh b'patish.6 Not only did they prohibit all different types
of musical instruments, but they also included all other noise-making
objects, such as bells, whistles or rattles.(7) <br><br>
The Rabbis of the Talmud(8) went even further. They decreed that certain
actions which could lead to the playing of musical instruments should
also be restricted, even if at the moment there are no musical
instruments present or even available. Apparently, they were concerned
that such an atmosphere could lead a creative individual to forget that
it is Shabbos, and fashion a makeshift musical instrument on the spot.(9)
Thus they banned clapping and dancing as well, since these are activities
which generate an atmosphere in which music is played. <br><br>
<b>QUESTION: </b>Nowadays, does the Rabbinical injunction against
clapping and dancing on Shabbos and Yom Tov still apply? <br><br>
<b>DISCUSSION:</b> While all authorities agree that the original edict
against playing any kind of instrument remains in effect nowadays,(10)
there are conflicting opinions whether or not the additional decree
against dancing and clapping is also in effect. Some argue that nowadays
we no longer have the ability or talent to fashion a musical instrument
on the spot, so we should not prohibit activities that could lead to the
fashioning of musical instruments.(11) Others hold that the original
Rabbinical decree applied only to dance movements which required musical
accompaniment, not to the unstructured and informal circle dancing
popular today.(12) For whatever reason, the fact remains that it became
customary for people to dance and clap on Shabbos and Yom Tov, and the
poskim did not strenuously object to their behavior.(13) While it
behooves a ba'al nefesh (a person who is especially meticulous in his
mitzvah observance) to refrain from dancing and clapping(14) on Shabbos
and Yom Tov [except on Simchas Torah (15)], especially for non-mitzvah
purposes,(16) and many people are careful about it,(17) the basic
halachah follows the opinion of the poskim who hold that nowadays, the
Rabbinical decree against dancing and clapping is no longer
applicable.(18) <br><br>
</font>See the URL for the footnotes. <br><br>
See also
<a href="http://www.cckollel.org/html/parsha/vayikra/shemini5763.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.cckollel.org/html/parsha/vayikra/shemini5763.html<br><br>
</a>YL<br>
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