Handcrafted Teapot Collection
Dedicated to selected chapters from Jewish Thought
This unique collection is preserved at the historic Masonic House in Jaffa, a site that brings together heritage, art, and community. A selection from this collection was featured in the group exhibition “Mishnah” at Ashkila Gallery in Jaffa under the curatorship of Hanita Elitzur. The Masonic House is an active cultural venue, and more information can be found on the official Grand Lodge of the State of Israel website:
https://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/zeldis12.html
Foto by Alexandr Zavin
“Do not look at the vessel, but at what it contains”
(Mishnah, Order Nezikin, Tractate Avot, Chapter 4, Mishnah 20)
One side features beautiful and intricate carving; the other is smooth and “peeling.”
The teapot is wheel-thrown from white clay and hand-carved, coated with glaze and vibrant colors, and fired at 1100°C
A turquoise teapot, shaped reminiscent of Arabian fairy tale vessels, “with two different faces.”
“On three things the world stands: on justice, on truth, and on peace.”
(Mishnah, Order Nezikin, Tractate Pirkei Avot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 18)
The teapot stands on three legs—golden bases engraved with the words “justice,” “truth,” “peace.”
On the body of the teapot, “world” is illustrated as the cityscape of Jerusalem.
The handle is shaped like an olive tree.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from white clay with added hand-built elements, decorated with carving, painted pigments, and glazes. Fired at 1100°C.
Make it stand out.
Hasidic Midrash (interpretation of sacred texts in Judaism): Rabbi Bunim taught his students that everyone should have two pockets, to use each as needed. In the right pocket is the saying, “For my sake the world was created”
(Mishnah, Tractate Sanhedrin, Avot, Chapter 4, Mishnah 5)
In the left pocket: “I am but dust and ashes”
(Genesis 18:27)
A striped teapot, its colors reminiscent of Joseph’s coat of many colors, with two pockets bearing these inscriptions.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from white clay, coated with glaze and colorful engobes, and fired at 1100°C.
Make it stand out.
“Love work, hate authority, and do not become acquainted with rulers.”
(Mishnah, Order Nezikin, Tractate Avot, Chapter 1)
A teapot on legs, designed in a steampunk style, exposing the inner mechanical elements—pipes and gears. The aesthetic reflects simple mechanics and visible workings.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from grey clay with sculpted and carved elements, coated with glazes and pigments, and fired at 1100°C.
“Two camels ascending the steps of Beth Horon met one another: if both try to ascend together, both will fall; if they go one after the other, both ascend.”
(from the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 32b)
The concept expressed is that only through cooperation and agreement can one reach the goal.
A teapot shaped like the Judean Hills, with figures of camels on the lid and spout.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from terracotta clay, featuring sculpted and carved elements, coated with glazes, and fired at 1100°C.
“Everything is foreseen, yet freedom of choice is given, and the world is judged with goodness.”
(Mishnah, Order Nezikin, Tractate Avot, Chapter 3, Mishnah 15)
A teapot made of grey clay, shaped in the form of steps and intertwining ladders arranged in a cone. These elements symbolize diverse paths, all ultimately leading upward.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from grey clay, carved and sculpted, coated with glazes and vibrant colors, and fired at 1100°C.
“A candle for one is a candle for a hundred.”
(The origin of this expression is in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, page 122a)
A tall teapot shaped as a lighthouse standing on a rock, with steps spiraling around the base. The handle is formed as a pine tree growing out of the rock.
The concept behind this piece is that a single candle lit by one can illuminate for many—symbolized by the guiding lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is not necessarily large, like the Haifa Lighthouse: a relatively modest building positioned on a high rock promontory jutting into the sea. Its elevated location is what allows its light to guide ships far and wide.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from terracotta clay with sculpted and carved elements, coated with glazes and pigments, and fired at 1100°C.
Aramaic passage: “The custom was, when a boy was born, a cedar was planted; when a girl was born, a pine tree was planted. And when they married, those trees were cut down and used for the marriage canopy.”)
(Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Gittin 57a)
A teapot shaped like a rock, with two trees—a cedar and a pine—growing from it, and a tallit (prayer shawl) stretched between them as a wedding canopy.
This artwork expresses the idea of the blood connection (deep ancestral and existential bond) of the Jewish people with the land on which they live. The custom described—planting trees at the birth of a child and using them for their wedding canopy—symbolizes the unity between life, family, generations, nature, and the homeland. In Jewish tradition, the Land of Israel is considered the “Promised Land,” chosen not just as a birthplace but as a place with spiritual, historical, and existential significance for the people of Israel.
The symbolism of the trees and earth in this piece highlights the deep-rooted belonging and continuity, showing how the land is intertwined with personal milestones and collective destiny. The artwork’s message is that the people and the land are organically bound to each other through history, ritual, and everyday life.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from terracotta clay, with sculpted and carved elements. It is coated with glazes and pigments, and fired at 1100°C.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.”
(Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3)
A teapot shaped like an hourglass, illustrated with images depicting the verses of Chapter 3 from Ecclesiastes.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from white clay, with images painted on its surface using pigments. It is coated with glaze and fired at 1100°C
“All genuine life is encounter.”
(Martin Buber, “I and Thou”)
A teapot with two painted figures on opposite sides, their hands reaching out toward each other. On the spout, two connected puzzle pieces are carved.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from grey clay, with carved elements, coated with glazes, and fired at 1100°C.
“Do not disdain any person, and do not reject anything; for there is no person without their hour, and no thing without its place.”
(Mishnah, Order Nezikin, Tractate Avot, Chapter 4, Mishnah 3)
A teapot shaped like a deer, made from patches of various fabrics. On the lid appears the symbol of the hippie movement, whose motto was “Let every flower bloom” (“Pacifique”), representing the same idea.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from white clay, with images painted on its surface using pigments. It is coated with glaze and fired at 1100°C.
“With the measure one uses, it is measured to them.”
(Mishnah, Order Nashim, Tractate Sotah, Chapter 1, Mishnah 7)
According to Midrash, merchants and shopkeepers were buried with their measures and weights as proof of their honesty. In a broader sense, this reflects the principle: “Do not judge, so you will not be judged,” or, “As you treat others, so will you be treated.”
This is why the teapot is embraced by a golden measuring tape, representing the ideal standard of fairness
A teapot made of pure white clay, as if standing on a bundle of intricate measuring tapes. The white color symbolizes sincerity and honesty, while gold represents purity and value. On the lid, measuring weights are sculpted.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from white clay with sculpted and carved elements, coated with glazes, and fired at 1100°C.
“Even the ‘empty ones’ in Israel are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate.”
(The origin of this saying is in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berakhot, page 27a)
A teapot shaped like a pomegranate, with the spout and handle formed as branches and leaves of the pomegranate tree.
The teapot is wheel-thrown from terracotta clay, featuring sculpted and carved elements, coated with glazes, and fired at 1100°C
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 1:9)
