״וּבְמוֹת אָבִיהָ וְאִמָּהּ לְקָחָהּ מׇרְדֳּכַי לוֹ לְבַת״, תָּנָא מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי מֵאִיר: אַל תִּקְרֵי ״לְבַת״ אֶלָּא לְבַיִת. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְלָרָשׁ אֵין כֹּל כִּי אִם כִּבְשָׂה אַחַת קְטַנָּה אֲשֶׁר קָנָה וַיְחַיֶּהָ וַתִּגְדַּל עִמּוֹ וְעִם בָּנָיו יַחְדָּו מִפִּתּוֹ תֹאכַל וּמִכּוֹסוֹ תִשְׁתֶּה וּבְחֵיקוֹ תִשְׁכָּב וַתְּהִי לוֹ כְּבַת״, מִשּׁוּם דִּבְחֵיקוֹ תִשְׁכָּב הֲווֹת לֵיהּ (לְבַת)? אֶלָּא — (לְבַיִת) הָכִי נָמֵי לְבַיִת.
The verse states: “And when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter” (Esther 2:7). A tanna taught a baraita in the name of Rabbi Meir: Do not read the verse literally as for a daughter [bat], but rather read it as for a home [bayit]. This indicates that Mordecai took Esther to be his wife. And so it states: “But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared: And it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his bread, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was like a daughter [kevat] to him” (II Samuel 12:3). The Gemara questions: Because it lay in his bosom, it “was like a daughter to him”? Rather, the parable in II Samuel referenced the illicit taking of another’s wife, and the phrase should be read: Like a home [bayit] to him, i.e., a wife. So too, here, Mordecai took her for a home, i.e., a wife.
בס"ד. ליל א' דחג השבועות (לפנות-בוקר), ה'תשי"ז
מאמר ד"ה צאינה וראינה
...והיינו שגם בחי' בתי שבמלכות, שהוא כמו שהמלכות מקבלת מז"א, הרי זה עלי' בספירת המלכות. דאף שלכאורה מה שהמלכות מקבלת מז"א הרי זה מעלת מדריגת המלכות מצד עצמה, וא"כ מהו"ע החיבוב, אך באמת הנה גם זה שהמלכות מקבלת מז"א הוא ג"כ חיבוב ועלי', וכמארז"ל א"ת לבת אלא לבית, היינו שהמלכות נעשית בית וכלי קיבול לקבל ההשפעות מז"א, שזהו ע"י עלי' דוקא.
Note: The Bat/Bayit (mis)reading is understood as an insight into the theosophical teaching regarding the development of the empowerment and transformation of the recipient. In Kabbalistic language,* divine power is transmitted from the Emotive Sefirot to the final Sefirah of Malchut, and this recipient position is typically viewed as one of total dependency. However, the insight drawn from the Talmudic reading of Esther as Bat/Bayit is that the recipient (Malchut) has attracted the one who wishes to provide empowerment through an inherent quality that elicits affection. This quality leads to the empowerment of and eventual transformation of the recipient.
* [In Habad Hasidism, Kabbalistic processes are viewed as psychological and interpersonal processes as well].