Pesach (Passover) begins this year on Saturday, April 12 (14 Nissan 5785) with the first seder. It commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Pesach is the seder, which occurs on the first two nights (in Israel just the first night) of the holiday — a festive meal that involves the re-telling of the Exodus through stories and song and the consumption of ritual foods, including matzah and maror (bitter herbs). The seder’s rituals and other readings are outlined in the Haggadah. The central Pesach practice is a set of intense dietary changes, mainly the absence of hametz, or foods with leaven. (Ashkenazi Jews also avoid kitniyot, a category of food that includes legumes.) In preparation for the Pesach holiday, it is an age-old Jewish tradition, known as Ma’ot Chitim, to contribute towards funds that ensure that everyone who is in need has the necessary provisions for the holiday—food, matzah, wine, etc. This Pesach is one of the relatively rare years when the seder falls on Shabbat. Observant Jews will prepare the seder plate items and the seder dinner food on Friday before sundown, and will warm the seder foods after Shabbat has ended.