After davening Ma’ariv / the evening Service, one should make a special effort to start the Seder as soon as stars appear (nightfall), in order that the children will be awake to ask the Mah Nishtana and receive the answers to their questions. When fulfilling this, one is keeping the Mitzva of “and you shall tell your son on that day.” Be sure not to make the Kiddush before nightfall.

The Seder table should be set with all the beautiful dishes as well as the silver which one possesses, representing royalty and freedom. A pillow or cushion should be prepared to recline on as a sign of freedom. Should you not have a cushion, or feel uncomfortable with a cushion, one should recline or lean to the left.

“Seder” means “order” which tells us that all the customs and rituals of this evening must be performed in a specific order. The order of the Seder which should be adhered to, can be found in the Haggadah.

The Rabbis ordained a special order for the Seder. Many Mitzvot should be performed on the night of the Seder, some of them are of Torah origin, some of them are Rabbinic and others are traditions or customs. As a rule, Mitzvot (positive commandments), should not be performed “in bundles”, meaning that each Mitzvah should be performed separately, in its correct time and correct place and no two Mitzvot should be performed simultaneously – in one act. If one Mitzvah is to follow another, the sequence may not be switched. For all generations, our great Rabbis established a particular order for the Mitzvot of the night, which is how they should be kept, without deviating from the order even slightly.

The Rabbis also inserted numerous mystical illusions and hidden secrets into every act which we perform, each one in the right sequence. Therefore, whether a custom is due to a Rabbinical requirement or is just an adopted custom, we should follow this without variation or deviation of the customs which we have received.

There were fifteen steps leading up to the Beis Hamikdash (Temple) corresponding to the fifteen Shir Hamaalot found in Tehillim (Psalms). In a similar way the Seder follows a fourteen step process.