The time for Kiddush: we do not make Kiddush until dark

Shulchan Aruch, Siman 472, the laws of reclining and the four cups
"One should have his table set while it is still day, so that he can eat immediately once it gets dark. Even if he is in the beis midrash, he should get up and go, because it is a mitzvah to hurry and eat for the sake of the children, so that they do not fall asleep. But he should not say Kiddush until it is dark."
(Shulchan Aruch)

The framework of our study: When it comes to chametz and the other Pesach preparations, detailed instructions are published every year by the Rabbinate, and each person follows them as he understands them. For the Seder night itself there are no such instructions, so our study simply follows the order of the Shulchan Aruch, which lays out the course of the Seder.

The time for Kiddush: we do not make Kiddush until dark

"'But he should not say Kiddush.' Meaning: do not think that since there is a mitzvah to hurry, we may begin Kiddush and the Haggadah while it is still day, as we find on Shabbos and Yom Tov, where one may add from the weekday onto the holy day and make Kiddush and eat while it is still day."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 4)

The law on Shabbos and Yom Tov: There is a concept of tosefes Shabbos and tosefes Yom Tov, adding from the ordinary day onto the holy day, as explained in Siman 267. From plag haminchah onward one may make Kiddush and eat while it is still day, and there is no problem with this at all. This is what people do in the summer months: they daven early, come home early, and make Kiddush and eat early.

"Pesach is not like that, because the eating of matzah is linked to the korban Pesach, as it says, 'they shall eat it with matzos and bitter herbs,' and the Pesach may only be eaten at night, as it says, 'and they shall eat the meat on this night.' And Kiddush must be at a time fit for matzah. Furthermore, the cup of Kiddush is one of the four cups, and therefore all of them are drawn after the Haggadah, the matzah and the maror."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 4)

The link between matzah and the Pesach: The eating of matzah is linked to the korban Pesach, and the Pesach is eaten only at night. Therefore, eating matzah on the Seder night can only be done at night.
Kiddush must be in the place of the seudah: Kiddush is valid only where the meal is eaten, so Kiddush must take place at a time fit for eating matzah. If someone makes Kiddush at six o'clock, at an hour when he cannot yet eat the matzah, his Kiddush is not in the place of the seudah, and adding onto the Yom Tov does not help here.
The first of the four cups: The cup of Kiddush is one of the four cups, and the four cups are part of the whole progression of the Seder night, which is bound up with the Pesach, the matzah and the maror, all of which belong only to this night. Therefore one may make Kiddush only from tzeis hakochavim.

(In a year with daylight saving time, tzeis hakochavim comes out late, and even so one may not move Kiddush earlier.)

Setting the table while it is still day

What case is being discussed: The Shulchan Aruch's words, that one's table should be set while it is still day, refer to an ordinary Erev Pesach, when there is nothing preventing one from preparing the table in advance.
When Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos: One cannot set the table on Shabbos for the Yom Tov, because Shabbos does not prepare for Yom Tov; Shabbos is the more important of the two. So one prepares on Friday, or after returning from shul on the Seder night, in which case setting the table delays the start of the Seder.
In practice: Each person should do as he sees fit, since for some people it is difficult to set the table on Friday because of the Shabbos meals themselves.

Beginning the Seder promptly (Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 1-3)

"'So that he can eat immediately.' The intent is that it should be possible for him to begin the Seder right away once it gets dark, without delay."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 1)

It does not mean literally eating: After all, we do not eat immediately; we make Kiddush and say the Haggadah, and only reach the eating quite late. The point is that the start should be early, right at tzeis hakochavim.
One who is in the middle of learning (s.k. 2): Someone sitting in the beis midrash learning should get up. The same applies to davening: he should hurry to say Krias Shema, daven, and go straight home.
In practice regarding Maariv: We do not do chazanus on the Seder night and we do not stretch out the davening, especially in years when the davening starts late to begin with. We daven the Yom Tov davening properly, and we say Hallel with a certain tune, but we do not draw out the davening beyond what is appropriate.
The reason for the urgency (s.k. 3): To press ahead with the Seder so that the children will not fall asleep.

V'higadeta l'vincha

Who are these children: It does not mean children in general, but his own children, about whom it says, "And you shall tell your son."
A suggestion in the poskim: Some poskim suggest, with reservations and depending on each person's strength and understanding, that a father invite all his children to be with him on the Seder night. This is not simple, and so it remains no more than a suggestion. Alternatively, the father can go to his children and fulfill "and you shall tell your son" at their homes.
Kol dichfin yeisei v'yeichol: One should invite guests, but one must make sure that there is someone present with the children.
When the children are not home: If the sons were called up to miluim (reserve duty) or simply cannot come, the Seder certainly goes on as usual. The Gemara itself works this out: his wife asks him, and if not, he asks himself, and two talmidei chachamim ask one another. This is also what happened during the Corona period, when the children could not come and couples made the Seder on their own.
A son and a daughter are equal here: Ideally a son or a daughter should be there, and there is no difference between them in this, but when it is not possible, the Seder is held in its proper form.

The Brisker Rav's question: what is different about telling the story of the Exodus on the Seder night

The question: The whole Seder night rests on remembering the Exodus, and Ben Zoma's derashah too was said about the words "all your days," which include the nights, teaching that the Exodus must be mentioned at night. But the Chachamim instituted the passage of tzitzis as part of Krias Shema, and in it we say, "I am Hashem your God who took you out of the land of Egypt," so we mention the Exodus every single night anyway. If so, what is unique about the Seder night?
One answer: On an ordinary night there is no obligation to tell one's son about the Exodus; on this night there is an obligation to tell it to one's son.
A further answer: On an ordinary night there is no format of questions and answers, only the recitation of the verse; on this night the telling is done through question and answer, "Mah nishtanah," asking questions and giving answers.
The conclusion: Because telling the story of the Exodus on this night is different from mentioning it on other nights, we say in the Haggadah, "and whoever tells more about the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy." At Maariv he says the verse and that is enough; here there is a mitzvah to expand and to tell.

"To tell" - to expand and to clarify

The word sapir: In Chassidus they say that "it is a mitzvah upon us l'saper" comes from the word sapir, a clear gem, meaning that the matters should be clear and understandable to everyone. That is, to expand in the telling, and also to clarify it, so that everyone at the table understands what is being discussed.
Until dawn: From here comes the custom of continuing to tell about the Exodus until dawn, since whoever tells more is praiseworthy. This has nothing to do with the afikoman, which must be eaten by chatzos (this year around twelve forty), but the telling itself continues on beyond that.
Saying Shir Hashirim: From here also comes the custom of saying Shir Hashirim, in which it says, "To a mare among Pharaoh's chariots I have likened you, my beloved." And according to Chazal part of Shir Hashirim deals with history and with the redemption, and in Nissan they were redeemed and in Nissan they are destined to be redeemed. It is therefore an important component of the tellings of this night.

Se'if 2 and the name of the Seder night

"He should arrange his table nicely with vessels."
(Shulchan Aruch)

The name does not come from here: Even though the word "arrange" (yesader) is used here, this is not the reason for the name "Leil HaSeder." It is true that the table should be arranged nicely, but the name comes from something else.
The reason for the name: On this night there are many actions, many berachos, and many elements of the telling, and it is extremely important to do them in the proper order. If someone does not do them in order, he may not have fulfilled his obligation.

The mnemonics of the Seder night

Why mnemonics are needed: So that a person would know in which order to do things, mnemonics for the Seder night were composed long before printing existed.
Why they were necessary: In the era before printing, Haggados were handwritten, and not everyone could pay a scribe for a book that is used once a year, or twice a year outside Eretz Yisrael. The wealthy had Haggados; ordinary people did not. So the mnemonics were composed.
The famous one: "Kadesh urchatz, karpas yachatz, maggid rachtzah, motzi matzah, maror korech, shulchan orech, tzafun barech, Hallel nirtzah." This is the one that caught on, perhaps because it is the shortest of them.
Another mnemonic in the Haggadah: Detzach adash b'achav, which Rabbi Yehudah gave, is also one of these mnemonics.
Who composed it: There is a dispute among the scholars. Some say Rashi composed it, and most opinions accept that it was one of the Baalei HaTosafos, Rav Shmuel, who composed the mnemonic.

Precision in the wording: "maggid rachatz," not "maggid rachtzah"

The common mistake: Some Haggados print "maggid rachtzah," and people assume that is because the word rhymes with "motzi matzah." That is a mistake.
The rhyme scheme: The rhyme in the mnemonic runs among the first three phrases of each stanza: "kadesh urchatz, karpas yachatz, maggid rachatz," and in the second stanza, "maror korech, shulchan orech, tzafun barech." "Motzi matzah" rhymes with "Hallel nirtzah" at the end of the second stanza.
The conclusion: One should not say "maggid rachtzah" but "maggid rachatz," and it is worth being precise about this.

Washing the hands before Kiddush

"And one should not wash his hands at all before Kiddush."
(Rema)

"Meaning, even though all year round the custom is to wash one's hands for the meal before Kiddush."
(Mishnah Berurah)

The custom being discussed: It is the Rema himself who brings the custom of washing the hands before Kiddush all year round, and here he rules that on the Seder night we do not do so.
Why the custom is not followed on Pesach: If one washes before Kiddush, the interruption until Hamotzi is enormous; two hours could easily pass, depending on how long the divrei Torah at the Seder go on. On an ordinary Shabbos the washing and Kiddush come right before Hamotzi and are hardly separated from it, so there is no problem, but on the Seder night it is simply not workable.

The reasons for the custom of washing before Kiddush all year

Whom we are discussing: The discussion concerns someone who makes Kiddush on wine. Someone who makes Kiddush on the challos certainly washes his hands first.
One reason: Many Jews were poor and had no wine, so they made Kiddush on the bread, which requires washing beforehand. And so that there should be no confusion, with one person washing and another not, especially when people host one another, they established a uniform practice of always washing before Kiddush.
A further reason: Kiddush is valid only in the place of the seudah. There was a concern that a person would make Kiddush and then move to a different corner of the house because of the cold or the heat, and his Kiddush would turn out not to be in the place of the meal. Washing before Kiddush shows that this is where he is eating, and it establishes the place of the seudah.
Why the custom faded: The custom fell away among many people because they did not understand its reason, and when a person does not understand the reason for something, it starts to look to him as if it is not proper.

A question about the connecting vav in "kadesh urchatz"

The question: One of the commentators wondered why we say "kadesh urchatz" with a connecting vav, when every word in the mnemonic stands on its own: kadesh, rachatz, karpas, yachatz, maggid, rachatz.
His answer: Kadesh and rachatz form a single unit, hinting that on this night we do not wash before Kiddush, and hence the connecting vav.
A reservation: Although the explanation is attractive, one has to consider whether this is what the author of the mnemonic had in mind.

The pressure of the meter

Meter in piyutim: The early paytanim who composed piyutim were influenced by the surrounding culture, and some piyutim have a meter, that is, a fixed rhythm determined by the vowels of the words.
The meter of the mnemonic: The mnemonic is a small piyut, and each word in it has two beats: ka-desh, kar-pas, ya-chatz, ma-gid, ra-chatz, mo-tzi, ma-tzah.
The difficulty with the word rachatz: Rachatz is vocalized with a sheva and a patach, and a sheva does not count as a full beat, even though it is a sheva na. So the author had no choice, and he added the connecting vav, which is a beat, in order to complete the meter.
The conclusion: One has to consider whether the connecting vav is there for a derashah, or whether it came in under the pressure of the meter, the way there is sometimes the pressure of a rhyme, on account of which a particular formulation is used.

In passing · the literature of the Haggadah and the abundance of mnemonics

A collection of the mnemonics: There is a Jew in Yerushalayim who collected the mnemonics for the Seder night and published them several times, and each year he adds and publishes further ones that he has found. Their number reaches about fifty, and even more.
The number of editions: The Haggadah is among the books that have gone through the most editions, some three thousand of them, which is astonishing for a book that is used once a year.
The number of commentaries: Apart from Tanach and the Gemara, the Haggadah is among the books that have the most commentaries written on them, some five hundred commentaries, and possibly more.
Commentaries on the mnemonic: Because the mnemonic became so widely accepted, some of the commentators explain it as well, by way of derush and by way of Kabbalah. The plain meaning needs no explanation, since the mnemonic comes essentially to teach the order: kadesh, then rachatz, then karpas, then yachatz, and so on.