Eat, Coat, Eat!

Activities You Can Do at Home: 

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• “Who is respected? Those who respect their fellow creatures” (Pirkei Avot 4:1).The wedding guests learn an important lesson from Marco about treating people with respect. In keeping with the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” you could talk with your children about external and internal qualities. Together, you might discuss traits and characteristics of the different members of your family, emphasizing the importance of treating every person with respect regardless of how he or she looks or is dressed.
• You might flip through the book together and compare the illustrations where Marco is simply dressed to those where he is wearing his elegant silk coat. Does “Marco remain Marco”?
• While reading the story, you could linger over the page where Marco “feeds” his coat food from the wedding feast. Does this illustration make your children laugh? Do you find it funny? You could ask your children why they think Marco decided to put food in his coat pockets.
• The story describes how the Jews of North Africa used to celebrate joyful life cycle occasions. You could talk with your children about weddings and other celebrations in your community today. How do you dress for them? What foods do you eat? Are there any special songs and dances associated with these events? Have your children ever taken part in a wedding or other life cycle celebration? See if you can find photographs from past happy occasions, and recall details from a wedding or other celebration in which you took part.
• You could dramatize the tale using puppets or stuffed animals, or put on a skit based on the story. Make sure to find appropriate costumes: some ragged outfits, dark make-up, fancy wedding clothes, an elegant coat, and so on.

• “When you eat the labor of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you” (Psalm 128:2). Marco works as a coal-seller—a job that barely paid enough to eat, and one that no longer exists. You could tell your children about coal, how people used to heat their homes with it, and how the job of coal-seller was regarded in society. Then you can ask your children what jobs or professions they know. If you like, you could tell them about the work that you do. What do you love about your work? What gives you satisfaction?