The first step of the Passover Seder, starting with Kiddush, is Kadesh.
Kadesh is the Hebrew imperative meaning “sanctify.” It begins the Seder after nightfall with Kiddush, the blessing that sanctifies the festival, followed by drinking the first of the Seder’s four cups of wine. The blessing also connects the evening with Passover, matzah, and the Exodus from Egypt.
Kadesh is sometimes confused with Urchatz because hand-washing follows immediately in the traditional order. Karpas comes next and involves dipping a vegetable, while Maggid is the later section devoted to retelling the Exodus and asking the Four Questions. Kadesh is therefore not merely a general opening prayer; it is the named first stage of the Seder’s fifteen-part sequence.
The Seder’s order is preserved in the Haggadah through the mnemonic Seder Simanim, a fifteen-word list of ritual stages. The four cups provide another framework: the first belongs to Kiddush, the second to Maggid, the third to Barech, and the fourth to Hallel. On Shabbat, Kiddush also incorporates the sanctification of the Sabbath.