Discover unique Holy Land items with Artza boxes. Artza offers unique Holy Land items, supporting local Israeli businesses and charities. The Christmas Joy box features unique ornaments and other joyful holiday items.

Have you heard of Artza boxes? These are not your ordinary boxes. They deliver an array of unique items to your doorstep, all handcrafted by local artisans from the Holy Land. Each Artza box is a treasure trove of artwork, delectable food items, luxurious body care products, and other unique items such as handmade decor, and local spices, making it a truly exclusive experience.

Want to see what’s in other Artza boxes? Click here to read my reviews on previous boxes.

Picture this: you’re unboxing a package that embodies the spirit of the Holy Land, brimming with items that add a festive touch to any day! This quarter’s Artza box celebrates joy, featuring various items handpicked from different corners of the Holy Land. The theme of joy is not just a theme. It’s a heartfelt message waiting for you inside this box!

Artza boxes are more than just a gift for you or a loved one. They are a gift that keeps on giving. As Artza says, “With every Artza box, you’re not just receiving a gift – you’re giving one. Your purchase supports local Israeli businesses and charities, allowing your kindness to shine across the Holy Land. It touches the lives of those dedicated artisans who craft these unique gifts, and for that, we are truly blessed by you all.”

Here are the features of the Christmas Joy box.

Ceramic Ornaments

ADI creates this set – The Ability Boutique, a company that employs their residents – those with severe disabilities – to craft these gorgeous ornaments for Artza boxes. The proceeds from the ornaments directly benefit the residents and their individual growth! ADI is just one of the many local businesses that Artza collaborates with. Each box features items from different artisans, showcasing the diverse talents and skills of the Holy Land’s local community.

We don’t put a Christmas tree up in my house, but these ornaments are beautiful and will be displayed year-round. One features an outline of the country of Israel, reminding us always to keep them in our prayers, as stated in Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May those who love you be secure.'” The other says “Shalom” in Hebrew and English and will be hung to greet all who enter our home.

Star of David Candle Holder

Made from olive wood grown in Bethlehem, a Christian craftsman creates these. This candle holder is a decoration that’s both attractive and meaningful. I placed a tea-lite in ours, and it fits perfectly. You could also use it to hold a thick round candle of the correct size.

Bundukim Halva Coated Nuts

These are AMAZING! This box includes a small package, but not even a huge package of these would go far with my family. Nuts are coated with Halva – a tahini-based confection typical to the Middle East. They aren’t overly sweet but are such a tasty treat!

Shalvatea: Chamomile Rose Lavender

I remember Shalvatea because we received some in the Golan Heights box, and my house full of tea drinkers really enjoyed it!

The tea included in this box is a calming blend of chamomile, rose, and lavender. It has a pleasant aroma and flavor, a bit of a sweet taste, and comes in 18 tiny cloth tea bags. Shalvatea is made by hand by people with physical disabilities, so it’s a marvelous organization to support!

100% Natural Date Syrup

This spread, also called Silan, is so versatile! My family has used it on crackers, pancakes, and baked goods. This natural syrup is better for your family than many other things. It has just one ingredient – dates!

A recipe for Silan Oat Crushed Cookies is included with this date syrup. It looks great, but my family has yet to try it. When we do, I’ll update this post with our cookie review!

The Hineni Journal

Added to this box for premium subscribers is a unique handmade book with lined pages for writing and blank pages. The cover’s raw edges and outline of Israel distinguish this journal from other similar notebooks. The journal has Bible verses, Hebrew prayers (in English and Hebrew!), etc., to encourage and guide your thoughts.

On the cover is the word Hineni הנני. This Hebrew word for “Here I am,” used by Abraham and Moses in the Bible, is meaningful to us as we walk our faith and answer the call of what God requires.

Puzzle of the Four Cities

We’ve enjoyed the games in other Artza boxes, so we were excited to see another included! This puzzle is suitable for competing between two players (perfect for my competitive boys!) or challenging your problem-solving skills.

The quality of the blocks in this puzzle is outstanding. The four cities included, which are the four that played the most significant roles in Jesus’s life, are Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Galilee, with a different picture to represent each.

Vazu Flower Vase

I usually have fresh flowers somewhere in my home, so I use many types of vases, but this one is the most unique of all! What started as a creative student project for Chagai, its creator, developed into an extraordinary and useful item!

The vase arrives flat but will stand on its own, holding water and flowers when filled with water! And when it’s not in use, it’s profoundly easy to store!

Artza Postcards

Each Artza box includes postcards featuring an area of the Holy Land. The ones in this box spotlight Jerusalem blanketed in a rare snowfall and the modern city of Bethlehem.

Would you like to order an Artza box for yourself or a loved one? Remember that each order brings valuable items from the Holy Land to your home and also supports local artisans in the Holy Land and meaningful charities! Get a 20% discount on your first order with my coupon code: HEBREW20

As Gentile believers in Jesus as the Messiah (a.k.a. Christians), Paul says in Romans 11 that we’re “wild olive” branches and that we’re “grafted in” to the “olive tree” to become partakers in the original tree – God’s promises to His people. Paul’s analogy is descriptive, showing how Gentile believers have a part in the Kingdom of God.

And I like being called a wild olive branch, don’t you? It sounds like we’re untainted in our wildness yet dignified in that we’re part of something rich and established. While this may be part of what Paul meant, there’s a lot more in this analogy for us as Christians.

Before the Wild Branch

To get some background, look at what’s going on at the beginning of Romans chapter 11. Paul is in the middle of telling his Jewish audience that they missed the messiah. By rejecting Jesus, they missed the message of grace they were offered and were still focusing on being saved by their works while waiting for the messiah. Verses 11-16 describe how the Gentiles have a chance at the Messiah because Jesus’s own people rejected him. Paul still wanted the Jewish people to see their need for Jesus (and some of them did!), but he describes their rejection as the “reconciliation of the world” (Rom. 11:15).

How blessed we are, Brothers and Sisters? It is so sad that God’s people, the Jews, shunned the messiah they had prayed for over so many years, but God brings a blessing in even something as heartbreaking as this. And it’s for us! Because of this, we have access to Israel’s Messiah, now the Savior to the entire world!

About Grafting

I love gardening more than most, but I haven’t attempted grafting. It isn’t easy. It’s an expert-level sort of thing. A tree farmer must do a graft correctly and carefully and take great care of the scion – the area where the two trees are attached. Even after a LOT of work and attention to detail, the graft may not take! Even when it does take, the new offshoot may not be productive. A well-grafted branch not only grows but also produces well.

Grafting only works when the new branch is of the same family as the original tree. For example, you can’t graft a cherry branch onto an orange tree. A successful graft requires a sort of “communication” between the old and new trees, which can only occur between trees of the same type.

A Farmer’s reasons for grafting may vary, but the overall goal is to get the best of both varieties. Combining the trees into one shouldn’t obscure the character of one and highlight the other but reserve the essence of both. Generally, one of the two trees has quality rootstock, and the other produces desirable fruit. Grafting gives the gardener the best of both worlds – a tree with solid roots and good fruit. The nature of each tree is reserved while allowing the best qualities of both to shine through.

Two Types of Olive Trees

In the Middle East at the time of Paul and today, two main types of olive trees are commonly grafted – the wild and the cultivated varieties. The cultivated trees grow olives used for food and to produce olive oil. Wild olive fruit isn’t as flavorful and is not usually eaten. Grafting won’t make a wild branch produce olives of cultivated quality or change the solid root structure of the original tree. It would, however, allow the wild branch to benefit from the established roots and healthy base of the cultivated tree and help it to produce healthy fruit of its unique variety.

Understanding Paul’s Symbolism

To clarify Paul’s analogy, Gentiles that recognize Jesus as the messiah and thus their need for him are the wild olive branches. The cultivated olive tree and its roots represent the promises of God given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament. He is saying that, although God made these promises to the Jewish people, we have a part in them, as Gentiles, due to our belief that Jesus is who he says he is. Our faith strengthens us and allows us to be “sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7).

So, now that we’re grafted in, what are we? While the grafting process entitles us to be heirs to God’s promises to the Jews, it does not make us into Jews. After the graft, we maintain our original character – Jews stay Jews, and Gentiles stay Gentiles. The change is that we’re then one in our Messiah, Jesus. 

The Branches Broken Off

When grafting, cutting some branches off the original tree is usually necessary to allow space or a better nutrient load for the new branch. Paul says in his grafting analogy that Jesus came to save his people, the Jewish people, but most of them rejected him as the messiah. He says that these branches were “not spared” and that they were “hardened.” Sadly, the Jewish people who did not recognize Jesus as their messiah were broken from the tree of God’s promises.

But Paul doesn’t stop there. He states that God will never abandon His people Israel. Also found in 1 Samuel 12:22 and other places, God is clear about His undying love for the Jewish people. Paul continues, saying that God will readily re-graft them when they turn from unbelief.

He also says that it was the disobedience of the Jews in rejection of Jesus that made a place for Gentile believers in the Kingdom of God. Because they fell away and were broken from the tree, we can now be grafted into that tree where we wouldn’t otherwise have had a part. This redemption is just part of God’s character. He makes a perfect plan, and people mess it up, then he brings blessing out of the terrible situation that is beyond what we could have imagined. It’s part of who He is!

The Job of Grafted Branches

What should our lives look like today as successfully grafted wild olive branches? How do we reflect our roots while maintaining our Gentile character? Paul answers this as well.

• Stay humble.  Paul first warns us of arrogance. Because branches were broken off, allowing us to be grafted in does not give us the right to think of ourselves as superior to the Jewish people. In verse 18, he said that we should remember that it is the root that supports us and not the Gentiles that support the root. As branches that benefit from the root, Christians should stand firmly against anti-Semitism and work diligently to bridge the deep chasm between Christians and Jews that has been built throughout history.   
• Pray for the Jewish people. Praying for their salvation should be our prayer for the Jewish people today. If seeing them turn to Christ and be re-grafted in is a desire of God’s heart, it should also be ours! 
• Learn more about the tree.  Being grafted in brings the opportunity for salvation to us as Gentiles. Some Christians say that the Old Testament is no longer relevant to our faith, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Genesis 12:1-3 contains God’s promise to Abraham to give him land and numerous descendants and to bless all the people of the earth through him. But the whole bible contains our story as God’s people, from Genesis to Revelation. God’s character is revealed throughout His word, and we should make it our life’s work to get to know Him and the promises (both fulfilled and yet to be) upon which our faith is built.
• Have a faith worthy of jealousy.  Not in a middle school mean girl way, but one where our faith is so pure and solid that outsiders, including Jews, want what we have. Paul suggests that one of the reasons for salvation being extended to the Gentiles was this. Making the Jewish people jealous of our faith may result in them being saved! Is your faith capable of making someone jealous for it? Do outsiders see your relationship with the God of the Bible and hope in our Savior and want that in their own lives?  
• Produce good fruit.  Like a grafted branch, we are to be productive offshoots. In John 15:8, Jesus says, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” We glorify God by bearing good fruit, including the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23.      

The analogy of being grafted in as wild olive branches demonstrates how we, as Gentiles, have access to the promises God gave to the Hebrew people. Without this grafting and some branches being broken from the original tree, we wouldn’t have a part in these promises and wouldn’t have our Messiah, Jesus. As successfully grafted and productive branches, we should produce fruit that glorifies God and humbly honor our roots and the spiritual nutrition they provide.

With everything going on over there, this is a perfect time to support and experience Israel through Artzaboxes. Please pray for them if you are not already because the Bible tells us to in Psalm 122:6, and they desperately need His intervention!

Artzaboxes are subscription boxes mailed to your door featuring unique items from the Holy Land. Each box includes food items, self-care items, games, decorative items, etc., from artisans around the area. The items are different in each box, making receiving each an exciting experience! Read about the other Artza boxes I’ve reviewed here.

A different region or theme is featured in each quarter’s box. The most recent is the Seven Species box. From Deuteronomy 8:8, the Seven Species are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey. Each of these seven species adds inspiration for the items in this quarter’s box.

Each box includes information about the artisans who made the items in the box. Reading the stories of their families and businesses brings even more of a connection with the people of the Holy Land!

Premium Item – Framed Seven Species Artwork

With the Artza Premium subscription, a premium item is included in each box. The premium item in this box is a framed, hand-made piece of artwork featuring the seven species and, in Hebrew, the words “land flowing with milk and honey” (ארץ זבת חלב ודבש, pronounced eh-rets za-vaht cha-lahv ood-vash). What a gorgeous reminder of the blessing God has bestowed on the land of Israel!

Wheat – חיטה (pronounced chee-tah)

The Schnitzel Spice Mix represents the wheat. This mix accompanies the included recipe for Crispy Chicken Schnitzel, a typical meal in Israel. On the top of the container is the verse: “But you would be fed with the finest of wheat with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” Psalm 81:16.

This mix is spicy, but in a flavorful way, not jalapeño spicy. I’m looking forward to making the Chicken Schnitzel recipe, and I’ll add an update when I do!

Israeli farmers create this spice blend at Derech HaTavlinim Herb & Spice Farm. This company has made spice mixtures for many Artza boxes I have received, and they’re always unique and tasty cooking additions.

Barley – שעורה (pronounced seh-oh-rah)

Barley and wheat are both represented in the Lavender & Rose Gentle Cleansing Face Mousse. This luxurious and soothing mixture smells incredible and feels great on your skin!

This light and pleasantly scented Mousse was created by Shlomit Cohen, the founder of the “Gift of Nature” company in Bat Ayin in Israel. She sees it as her mission to teach people how to be healed naturally as well as to use the riches of nature.

Grape Vine – גפן (pronounced ge-fen)

Grapes are found on the Seven Species Bamboo serving tray included in this Artzabox. Created by Yair Emanuel, a well-known artist whose creations are a regular addition to Artzaboxes, this serving tray is perfect for serving a light appetizer or even to serve the olives included in this box (more on these later).

Fig – תאנה (teh-eh-nah)

This item is my favorite in this quarter’s box! The unique Fig Leaf Candle represents the fig. Made from beeswax and molded from local fig bark, this beautiful candle will be an excellent addition to any room, as well as a conversation piece!

Pomegranate – רימון (pronounced ree-mon)

The pomegranate is featured on the gorgeous trivet from Hadarya Artwork. This well-made glass trivet features pomegranates and designs in various blue colors and would be an attractive addition to any table!

Pomegranates are meaningful in the Bible, as well as in the land of Israel. They even graced the priests’ robes in the Temple as part of God’s design!

Also included in this box is a postcard featuring a beautiful image of pomegranates. On the reverse side, there’s an explanation of the holiday of Tu B’shvat, including why it’s also called the “New Year for Trees.”

Olive – זית (pronounced zay-eet)

I love olives, but living in the US, I usually get mine from a can. There are few fresh olives here! I really appreciated the experience of the fresh Zaatar olives included in this box.
These olives were made by Sidyanna of Galilee, a unique company that aims to unite Arab, Christian, and Jewish women as they create delicious olives and their products. Their Extra Hopeful Olive Oil was featured in another Artza Box I received, the Galilee Box, and it was fantastic.

Honey – דבש (pronounced da-vash)

As I explained in my review of the Judean Desert box, the “honey” often referred to in the Bible is thought to be date honey. Delicious date honey was included in the Judean Desert box. In this box, there’s a jar of date spread, which reminds me of the date honey, maybe because date honey is an ingredient in this spread.

This date spread is sweet and sticky, and my kids loved dipping their challah bread into it! It’s versatile – we’ve tried it on pancakes and crackers so far as well and have found it goes great with many things!

Would you like to order an Artzabox for yourself or as a gift? Here’s a coupon code for 20% off of your first order: HEBREW20