Zohar and Nefesh HaChayim

Text 1 (Nefesh HaChaim) emphasizes that despite rabbis calling prayer 'service of the heart' (עבודה שבלב), the halakhic requirement from Hannah's example is that lips must move (צריך שיחתוך בשפתיו). This establishes tension between inner intention and physical expression. Text 2 (Zohar) describes mystical prayer through sensory and contemplative imagery—closing eyes, ascending above, hearing celestial voices—emphasizing internal mystical experience and devekuth. Neither directly contradicts; rather, Text 1 prioritizes the external-internal balance with halakhic obligation, while Text 2 focuses on the mystical-experiential dimension of prayer without addressing the lips/speech requirement.