253. Come and behold. It is written, "And Elohim remembered Rachel..." (Beresheet 30: 22) He began by quoting the verse, "To the chief musician for the sons of Korah, A song to Alamot" (Tehilim 46:1). We need to study this verse because it contains the secret of wisdom. All the songs and praises that the sons of Korah uttered WERE NOT NEW. RATHER, THEY WERE OLD songs and praises sung anew. The songs and praises David sang with his followers, WHO ARE MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING OF WITH PSALMS IN TEHILIM, were part of the secret of the upper one, BINAH, in the secret of Chochmah.
254. Come and behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, formed the lower world, THE NUKVA, so that it resembled the upper world, BINAH, AS IT RECEIVES FROM IT. And all that David, his son Solomon, and the true prophets arranged, they arranged IN THE LOWER WORLD in the image of above, BINAH.
255. Come and behold, as there are watches on earth, AND THE TWELVE HOURS OF THE NIGHT ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE TIMES FOUR, so it is that in the firmament THERE ARE THREE GROUPS OF ANGELS chanting to their Master, singing always. They stand one above the other ACCORDING TO THEIR RANK, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "FOR THERE IS A HIGH ONE WHO WATCHES OVER HIM THAT IS HIGH; AND THERE ARE YET HIGHER ONES OVER THEM" (KOHELET 5:7). They sing and praise standing in rows, EACH GROUP CHANTING ACCORDING TO ITS RANK. This has already been explained by the friends.
256. HE ASKS, WHAT is the meaning of "A song to Alamot? (lit. 'maidens')" HE ANSWERS, It is similar to the verse, "There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines and young maidens without number" (Shir Hashirim 6:8). The "young maidens without number" are the same as in the verse, "Is there any number to His armies" (Iyov 25:3). As they are countless, it is written, "and young maidens without number."
257. They are arranged in rows facing each other, singing and praising their Master. These are "A song to Alamot (lit. 'maidens')," in the verse, for there are maidens who do not sing as these do. Thus, these are called 'maidens of song.'