Genesis is a story without an ending

There is, however, one aspect of Tanakh, systematically evident in the narrative of Genesis, that is rare to the point of uniqueness. It is a story without an ending which looks forward to an open future rather than reaching closure. This defies narrative convention. Normally we expect a story to create a tension that is resolved in the final page. That is what gives art a sense of completion. We do not expect a sculpture to be incomplete, a poem to break off halfway, a novel to end in the middle. Schubert's Unfinished Symphony is the exception that proves the rule.

Yet that is what the Bible repeatedly does. Consider the Humash, the five Mosaic books. The Jewish story begins with a repeated promise to Abraham that he will inherit the land of Canaan. Yet even when we reach the end of Deuteronomy, the Israelites have still not crossed the Jordan. ...

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis