This week's parasha starts with the word עקב which has multiple meanings. One, as Rashi points is: "If, even the lesser commandments which a person [sometimes] treads on with his heels, you will heed,...". Rashi uses the definition “heel” even though the word the simple meaning of the word in this context is "because". Please see a discussion here and here and here: http://www.torah.org/learning/livinglaw/5766/eikev.html, http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/91878/jewish/Eikev.htm, see even ;) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eikev#Deuteronomy_chapter_7]
Many say that Ekev refers to the "footsteps of Moshiach" "עקבתא דמשיחא"
http://www.ou.org/torah/ti/5759/eikev59.htm, http://www.sichosinenglish.org/weekly/w10.htm, http://www.gns.org/archives/1963]
These sources are based on Avodah Zarah 9a and Rabbenu Ephraim al HaTorah. To understand this, we must remember that there are three eras in history: the first 2000 years of history being the years of “Emptiness” because the Torah was not yet revealed to the world, the second 2000 year period is the era of Torah, and the last 2000 years, the era of Moshiach. The gematria of Eikev (spelled with an Aleph) is 172. This refers to the last 172 years of the second 2000-year period in Jewish history, when R. Akiva whose name is also built on the root עקב lived. Indeed on/around that year 3828, the Second Temple was destroyed and as the third era of 2000 years commenced, the Jewish people plunged into the current long galus in which we are still in 5769.
The Chiddushei HaRim and succeeding Gerrer Rebbes thus explain the opening word of this week's parash, עקב, as an allusion to the root of the name of Rebbe Akiva being in the heel of the Supernal Adam as discussed in Shar Gilgulim.
Rebbe Akiva started learning Torah as an adult at age forty when he was already an adult (40 years old) like many Jews today. Nonetheless he rose from that lowly station to lead the Jewish people, inculcating his own students with the message that one should love every Jew like himself. He is viewed as the foundation of the Oral Torah (Sanhedrin 86a) andl as a master of the Hidden Torah, the Kabbalah. The latter status is based on his attributed redaction of the Sefer Yetzirah as well as being the only one of four who entered the highest spiritual realms (Pardes), and left in peace. R. Akiva always focused on the positive and on the Redemption When other sages saw a fox coming out of the destroyed Holy of Holies, they cried but Rebbe Akiva derived from this a message of the certainty of the Redemption. Rebbe Akiva was murdered by the Romans on Erev Yom Kippur while saying Shema His self-sacrifice in serving HaShem serves as an inspiration for Jews at all levels in all times of galus, including in the present difficult times, the "heels of Moshiach (Ikvesa D’Moshiach)". As is known, R. Akiva thought that Bar Kochba was the Moshiach and encouraged and supported him. It is appropriate that his name be connected to the name of the parasha Eikev, which refers to the reward all Jews will receive when Moshiach comes.
We can now approach the passage in the Gemara (Yevamos 16) in which Rebbe Akiva is asked ,“Are you the Akiva whose name is known from one end of the world to the other?" Ben Yehoyada as expounded further by Likkutei Levi Yitzhak and Shelah explain that this refers to the fact that Rebbe Akiva posesses two spellings to his name עקיבא and עקיבה. The version with an Aleph reflects the ability to rerrange רבי עקיבא to אביר יעקב which relates to Yaakov Avinu, who is also known as Yisroel, which can itself also be rearranged to לי ראש besides being composed of the same letters as the name Akiva. A connection to the patriarch who is referred to as the head is a connection to the “higher end” on the world.
The rendition ending with a hey alludes to the end letters (sof teivos) of Tehillim 97:11 לב שמחה אור זרוע לצדיק ולישרי which refers to the lower level not only since it is the end letters but also because this passuk is recited at the beginning of Yom Kippur at Kol Nidrei at the time that all types of Jews even "sinners" whom we request at that time to daven with us. It includes the level of converts whom through Teshuva return back to their holy source. The letter Hey also denotes malchus, the lowest of the sefiros.
The two spellings of Rebbe Akiva and his life-story exemplify the journey of a Jew through galus, rising up from the heels of a humble origin to the greatest heights from “one end of the world to the other.” This makes R. Akiva greater than even Moshe Rabbeinu in certain respects. The Shelah brings that Moshe Rabbenu did not reach the fiftieth gate and did not attain the sod of the Parah Adumah but Rebbe Akiva did. The Chida in his Haggadah says that when Moshe tried to refuse his mission, his words שלח נא ביד תשלח meant that HaShem should send Rebbe Akiva instead.
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