Pesach / Passover
Pesach (Passover) begins on the night of the fifteenth day of the month of Nissan and lasts for eight days. This holiday commemorates the departure of the nation of Israel from Egypt. Pesach marks the birth of the Jewish people as a nation led by Moshe (Moses) over 3000 years ago. This is a as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as the physical liberation from slavery. The highlight of Pesach is the observance of the Seder, a unique ceremony performed on the first two evenings of Passover. At the Seder, we eat different special foods, we tell the story of our departure from Egypt, we sing songs and praises, and say special prayers.
Of all the Jewish holidays, Pesach is the one most commonly observed, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. According to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), more than 80% of Jews have attended a Pesach seder.
The name “Pesach” (PAY-sahch, with a “ch” as in the Scottish “loch”) comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit 
, meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. “Pesach” is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv 
, (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot 
, (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z’man Cheiruteinu 
, (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish “ch”s).
After 410 years of slavery in Egypt, Moses told Pharaoh that he must “Let My People Go.” Each time Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites, God brought another plague upon the Egyptians. The tenth and final plague was the death of firstborn children. In executing this plague, God passed through the land of Egypt, but “passed over” Jewish homes. Thus, the holiday is called Passover. The Israelites were then released from bondage. But the Israelites only truly became free when, 50 days after the Exodus, they accepted the Torah from God at Mount Sinai. Thus, the Jewish nation was born. Every Passover, we are commanded to tell the Passover story.
Given the special dietary restrictions of Passover, specifically no chametz, a whole new set of Passover recipes are needed.