Many yeshivos have a minhag to do lots of dancing on Shavuos. Is there room to be lenient with dancing on Shavuos more than on a regular Yom Tov? Or is Shavuos the same as all other Yomim Tovim, and if one normally refrains from dancing, Shavuos should be treated in the same way?
R’ Shlomah Zalman (Halichos Shlomah, Shavuos 12:14) writes: “That which is customary in many places to dance in circles on the day of the giving of the Torah, is a good custom. People shouldn’t protest as it is done to give honor to the Torah and to show that those that learn it are happy on the day that it was given at Har Sinai. Therefore, it is permissible to dance, even though it is Yom Tov. Although in Orach Chaim (339) it says, ‘One shouldn’t dance on Shabbos or Yom Tov’, and even the Rema who brings a reason to be lenient, doesn’t explicitly allow it - he just says not to protest, dancing on Shavuos which is done for kavod haTorah is ok. Even those who are stringent every Shabbos, and hold like the Mechaber may be lenient on Shavuos. Like we find the Beis Yosef (339) writes that on Simchas Torah one is allowed to dance as it’s honor for the Torah. Similarly, on Shavuos which is the day the Torah was given, anyone who dances is honoring the Torah, therefore, it is allowed.”
Some say, the day of Matan Torah is like a chasunah, like it says in Ta’anis (26b):ביום חתונתו זה מתן תורה – “’On the day of the wedding’ – this refers to Matan Torah”, and when it comes to a chasunah we find that the poskim are lenient and allow dancing.
In the sefer Chofetz Chaim U’po’aloi (pg. 204) it’s brought down: In Yeshivas Radin, the roshei yeshivah and talmidim would dance with all their might on Shavuos, and they would do this in the presence of the Chofetz Chaim.
The Madanay Asher adds: The Medrash Rabbah (Ki Sisa) says, if one learns and doesn’t have as much simchah as when he got married, it’s better that he doesn’t learn. Therefore, it’s important to dance and be happy on Shavuos.
