Aikev: National Transaction

This weeks parsha's index word is עֵ֕קֶב  aikev.  It  is translated (officially) by Onkelos as חֳלַף chalaf, in exchange (for).  This is how the word is used ( and translated by Onkelos) the second time it appears in Genesis. 

הִתְבָּרֲכ֣וּ בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ עֵ֕קֶב אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ בְּקֹלִֽי׃ 

All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.”

In exchange  for attempting to  offer Isaac  as a burnt offering on the altar, Abraham is paid with  this benediction. This is the sense in which עֵ֕קֶב  aikev is used to introduce this week's parsha: 

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ יְ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃

And if  עֵ֕קֶב you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers:

 But the first appearance of  עֵ֕קֶב aikev is part of the curse delivered to the tempting serpent of Eden. 

וְאֵיבָ֣ה ׀ אָשִׁ֗ית בֵּֽינְךָ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ וּבֵ֣ין זַרְעָ֑הּ ה֚וּא יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ רֹ֔אשׁ וְאַתָּ֖ה תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ עָקֵֽב׃ (ס) 

I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your [serpent]offspring and hers;
They [human] shall strike at your head,
And you[serpent] shall strike at their heel.”עֵ֕קֶב

Here the word is generally understood to mean heel. Onkelos stays with the transactional meaning of עֵ֕קֶב  aikev, despite the usual anatomic understanding: 

וּדְבָבוּ אֱשַׁוֵּי בֵּינָךְ וּבֵין אִתְּתָא וּבֵין בְּנָךְ וּבֵין בְּנָהַהּ הוּא יְהֵי דְּכִיר לָךְ מַה דִּעֲבַדְתָּ לֵהּ מִלְּקַדְמִין וְאַתְּ תְּהֵא נָטִיר לֵהּ לְסוֹפָא:

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. . [He will remember you, what you did to him from the beginning, and you will expect him at the end].

When Jacob  is born, and named for grabbing the heel of Esau, the anatomic definition cannot be avoided: 

וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְיִצְחָ֛ק בֶּן־שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּלֶ֥דֶת אֹתָֽם׃ 

Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob.^*Jacob Play on Heb. ‘aqeb “heel.”

Onkelos here uses: 

 וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו  grasping the heel of Eisov,

 The first Rashi of our parsha: 

והיה עקב תשמעון. אִם הַמִּצְווֹת קַלּוֹת שֶׁאָדָם דָּשׁ בַּעֲקֵבָיו תשמעון. והיה עקב תשמעון AND THE CONSEQUENCE WILL BE, IF YE HEARKEN (The Hebrew text may be taken to signify if you will hear the heel, עקב) — If, even the lighter commands which a person usually treads on with his heels (i.e. which a person is inclined to treat lightly), ye will hearken to,

raises the significance of the ( apparently) trivial. Everything has consequences. 

At the same time, עֵ֕קֶב aikev evokes Jacob, the father of the nation. Perhaps it points to the (Jewish) accountant quality that permeates a culture that glorifies the minutiae of Talmud ( ,science,  business, etc).  

In this parsha the nation is addressed  Previously, Moses spoke to the individuals, second person singular.  In the previous parsha it states: 

וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְ

You ( singular)  shall love your Gd

Here we have 

שַׂמְתֶּם֙ אֶת־דְּבָרַ֣י אֵ֔לֶּה עַל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם 

impress these My words upon your (pleural) hearts

The people are about to step into the Promised land, and Gd grabs them by the heel and reminds them to watch where they tread; and consider what they crush with every step. Is the worm a defanged serpent whose dying spirit calls out to a more powerful avenger?