This Shabbat we conclude the Book of Exodus. Unlike the ending of Genesis, which marks the transition from the stories of our forefathers and foremothers into the story of the Israelite nation, the Exodus ending does not clearly demarcate the conclusion of a narrative arc. In fact, the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers flow together as a single unit, focussed on the Israelites’ journey from slavery in Egypt to being on the precipice of entering the Land of Israel. Along the way they acquire rules, laws and instructions that guide the spiritual and community life they are establishing.

So, what to make of an ending that isn’t really an ending? Perhaps movie franchise would be a good place to look for comparisons. Some film franchises only became multi-part after the success of the first film (Terminator, Toy Story, etc.). In these examples, the original story concludes very neatly, since there was no plan to have more films that follow. The risk with these films, though, is it’s never clear when the franchise is destined to end.

Other franchises were always envisioned as multi-film endeavours (the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or Dune and Dune II). The challenge with these films is for each installment to work as a stand-alone narrative while also serving as a puzzle piece for the greater whole. In contrast to the example above, though, the filmmakers usually know from the beginning how many films they are planning to make and have an exit strategy for wrapping up the entire story.

I foresee a similar situation for the current Israel-Hamas war. At some point, the official war will end. Yet we already know that this conflict, while unique in many ways, will become part of the ongoing series of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has been continuing for decades. What is unknown is whether this is the final chapter of this saga or if more installments are yet to come.