Reply To: Women and Simchas Torah

Minhagim do get changed. I have come across a few places in Mishnah Berurah where the Shulchan Aruch says one thing but the Rama says we do differently. There is great deference to custom, but it seems they can change when the powers that be feel it’s appropriate. Interestingly, when it comes to Purim, for example, girls’ schools have their own chagigas and no one would question that, but somehow when it comes to Simchas Torah, any suggestion for a separate celebration is met with resistance because it’s something that hasn’t been done before. Dancing is an expression of joy, and if women want to express their joy for the Torah, why should they be denied that opportunity and told to settle for watching the men do it?