Haggadah:Simanei HaSeder – Components and Mnemonics/0

The Seder's Components and Their Mnemonics

Introduction

We open our Seders with a table of contents for the evening in the form of "סימני הסדר".   The most familiar version lists fourteen-fifteen¹ sections:
 
קַדֵשׁ | וּרְחַץ | כַּרְפַּס | יַחַץ | מַגִּיד | רָחְצָה | מוֹצִיא-מַצָּה | מָרוֹר | כּוֹרֵךְ | שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ | צָפוּן | בָּרֵךְ | הַלֵּל | נִרְצָה
 
There are many variations of this list.  Some are quite verbose, containing explicit directions and halakhot for each component,² while others are concise mnemonics,³ enigmatic to those unfamiliar with the rites.  The differences between the lists often reflect varying customs of the Seder.

¹ This depends on whether one counts "מוֹצִיא-מַצָּה " as one or two components.

² See, for instance, the signs of the Terumat HaDashen brought in Leket Yosher which consist of several full paragraphs.

³ See, for example, the list of R. Ovranik brought in Leket Yosher: קר"י חכמ"ה ב"ן המל"ך אמ"ן. The letters of the acronym are then explained: ק' קידוש, ר' רחיצה, י' ירקות, ח' חולק, כ' כהא, מ' מוזג, ה' הגדה, ב' ברכת יין, נ' נטילה, ה' המוציא, מ' מצה, ל' לטיך, כ' כריכה, א' אפיקומן, מ' מים אח', נ' נברך.