What is the importance of the Jewish festival of Pesach?

This is a matter of individual outlook and opinion; you could probably get 10 different answers from 10 different people. Here's a suggested answer from this responder: From the observance of Pesach (Passover), Jews gain: -- an appreciation of freedom in a very strict sense ... freedom directed to a purpose, not simply to enjoy liberty but to make liberty an instrument of purpose; as Paul Harvey used to say, "not free to do as you want, but free to do as you ought", which is the service to the Master of the Universe, and exemplifying his meaning and message to the nations of the earth; -- an inspiration to look for the Deity not among themselves or among the objects of nature or of legend, but to the Power which permeates, yet transcends, all of creation; this idea is driven home first by the fact that the Pesach commemoration and celebration virtually ignore Moses. -- an awareness that worship consists not only of prayer but equally of study and learning, which are emphasized from the first moment of the holiday; -- an awareness of the central, vital importance of the children to the survival of the Jewish lessons and way of life; -- a sense of humility and gratitude toward the infinite Power that saw fit not only to teach Pharaoh and his people a lesson in return for their treatment of the Jews, but also to rescue the Jews in the process, and to give them the resources and set them on a new life course of their own.