Pesach Questions

We have several young kids coming to the seder this year and we want them to see as much of it as they can. I know Rav Yosef wrote a halachic how-to but I am still confused on the particulars. Candle lighting is at 7:03 (this question is about the first seder) Does that mean we cannot do kiddush until after 8 p.m.?

It is wonderful that you want to include the kids in the seder~~ that's what it's all about!

You are right that Kiddush cannot be done until 8:02pm. 

I am including the halacha how-to you are referring to, as in it Rav Yosef provides great alternatives. RATN

Thanks to daylight saving time, nightfall will be occurring rather late on the nights of the Sedarim this year. As you may know (and as is indicated on the BDJ Pesach schedule) we actually need to wait until nightfall to begin the Seder. This is because all of the mitzvot of the Seder, including the drinking of the 4 cups, can only be performed when it is halachikly “night”. This effectively pushes Kiddush to 8:02 PM this year. All of this creates a potential problem relative to children’s participation in the Seder. By the time we reach the eating of matza and maror, they may already be asleep. Let me make the following suggestion if none of the more conventional solutions (e.g., afternoon naps) proves successful. Begin the seder at 8:02, but break the Magid section into 2 parts, with one part done before the meal, and the other part after. The pre-meal part should include the sections specified by the Talmud as the bare bones of the Magid. These sections are: • Mah Nishtana • Avadim Hayinu • At first our ancestors were idolaters • The section from “My father was a wandering Aramean,” through the ten plagues • From “Rabban Gamliel” to the end If this dividing of the Magid will enable the children to participate in matza and maror, it is well worth doing. If this too won’t do the trick, I’d suggest a “model seder” for the kids before the officially appointed hour.