Sarah Bas Tovim

Sarah Bas Tovim (lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries) was a Ukrainian Jew, author of Shloshe Shearim ("Three Portals") the most widely circulated of the tkhines, Yiddish-language prayer booklets intended mainly for Jewish women. [Liptzin, 1972, 16]

Born in the small town of Satanov in the Podolia region of Ukraine, she claimed descent from Rabbi Mordechai of Brisk. [Liptzin, 1972, 16]

Shloshe Shearim, written toward the end of her life, is a cautionary tale based on her own life. She tells of herself as a vain young woman, who came to the synagogue wearing jewels and gossipping and jesting during services, and of how she spent a sad life as a wanderer. [Liptzin, 1972, 16-17]

Bas Tovim herself became a figure of Jewish legend, such as the story "Der Zivug" by I.L. Peretz, in which Bas Tovim is given hospitality and leaves behind a pair of golden slippers that eventually lead a young man to his proper bride. [Liptzin, 1972, 17]

References

• Liptzin, Sol, A History of Yiddish Literature, Jonathan David Publishers, Middle Village, NY, 1972, ISBN 0-8246-0124-6.

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Name	Bas Tovim, Sarah
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