2. You may say that Esther has a bad reputation BY SAYING that she was defiled with Ahasuerus, YET she was worthy that the Holy Spirit, WHICH IS MALCHUT, would be clothed in her as it is written, "Esther put on her royal apparel" (Ester 5:1). IN THAT CASE, YOU ARE BRINGING OUT AN EVIL NAME ON MALCHUT. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I am Hashem, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to carved idols" (Yeshayah 42:8), WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH CALLED 'NAME,' 'GLORY' AND 'PRAISE.' The Holy Spirit is the Shechinah and is a name that was clothed with Esther. HOW CAN YOU SAY SHE WAS DEFILED WITH AHASUERUS?
2. וְאִי תֵּימְרוּן שׁוּם בִּישׁ עָלָהּ, דְּאִסְתְּאָבַת בַּאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, וְזָכְתָה לְאִתְלַבְּשָׁא בָּהּ רוּחָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא הה"ד וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת. הָא אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲנִי יְיָ' הוּא שְׁמִי וּכְבוֹדִי לְאַחֵר לֺֹא אֶתֵּן וּתְהִלָּתִי לַפְּסִילִים. וְרוּחָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא שְׁכִינְתָּא הֲוַת, דְּאִיהִי שֵׁם דְּאִתְלַבְּשַׁת בְּאֶסְתֵּר.
6. The sages who wrote the Mishnah SAID THAT it is said of the Matron, WHO IS MALCHUT, "and His kingdom rules over all" (Tehilim 103:19), SINCE SHE RULES OVER THE KLIPOT AS WELL. THEREFORE, after Esther put on THE ROYAL APPAREL, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "ESTHER PUT ON HER ROYAL APPAREL (HEB. MALCHUT)," Esther ruled over Ahasuerus and his people, and it is said of them, "and slew of their foes" (Ester 9:16). If you say that AHASUERUS mated with her, heaven forbid. Though they were in the same house, SHE DID NOT MATE WITH HIM, but was like Joseph of whom it says, "And she laid up his garment (Heb. bigdo) by her" (Beresheet 39:16). The word bigdo is employed, which is derived from, "traitors have dealt treacherously (Heb. bagdu)" (Yeshayah 24:16). THIS IS HIS MOST OUTER ASPECT, WHICH THE KLIPOT CAN BE ATTACHED TO.
6. וְרַבָּנָן מָארֵי מָתְנִיתִין, מַטְרוֹנִיתָא אִתְּמַר בָּהּ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֺּל מָשָׁלָה, בָּתַר דְּאִתְלַבְּשָׁא בֵּיהּ אֶסְתֵּר, שְׁלִיטַת אֶסְתֵּר עַל אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ וְאוּמָתֵיהּ. וְאִתְּמַר בְּהוּ וְהָרוֹג בְּשׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם. וְאִי תֵּימָא דְּאִתְיָיחַד עִמָּהּ. אַף עַל גַּב דַּהֲווֹ בְּבֵיתָא חֲדָא, ח"ו. אֶלָּא, כְּגַוְונָא דְּיוֹסֵף, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ, וַתַּנַח בִּגְדוֹ אֶצְלָהּ, וְלָא לְבוּשׁוֹ, אֶלָּא בִּגְדוֹ, לִישָׁנָא דְּבוֹגְדִים בָּגָדוּ.
7. There is a great mystery here, which is why 'Esther' is derived from mystery (Heb. seter), as it is written, "You are my hiding place (Heb. seter)" (Tehilim 32:7), since the Shechinah hid her from Ahasuerus and gave him a female demon instead while she returned to Mordechai's arm. And Mordechai, who knew the explicit Name and the seventy tongues, did all this with wisdom. This is why the sages of the Mishnah stated that even regardless of this, a man must speak with his wife before he mates with her, because she might have been exchanged with a female demon.
7. וְהָכָא סִתְרָא רַבְרְבָא. וּבְגִין דָּא, אֶסְתֵּר: לִישָׁנָא דְּסִתְרָאָהּ, אַתָּה סֵתֶר לִי, שְׁכִינְתָּא אַסְתִּירַת לָהּ מֵאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, וְיָהִיב לֵיהּ שֵׁידָה בְּאַתְרָהּ, וְאִתְהַדְּרַת אִיהִי בִּדְרוֹעֵיהּ דְּמָרְדְּכַי. וּמָרְדְּכַי דַּהֲוָה יָדַע שְׁמָא מְפֺרָשׁ, וְשַׁבְעִין לָשׁוֹן, עֲבַד כָּל דָּא בְּחָכְמְתָא. וּבְגִין דָּא אוּקְמוּהָ מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין, דַּאֲפִילּוּ בְּלָא דָּא, אִית לֵיהּ לְב"נ קוֹדֶם דְּיִתְיָחֵד עִם אִתְּתֵיהּ, לְמַלְּלָא עִמָּהּ, בְּגִין דְּשֶׁמָא שֵׁידָה אִתְחַלְּפָא בְּאִתְּתֵיהּ.