Rabbi Kornfeld,
I understand why R' Eliezer says there were only six exiles of the Sanhedrin (pasukim to support him), but how does this correspond with the fact that the Sanhedrin actually moved ten times? Which of the moves does he count as an exile, which of the moves does he not count, and why should certain moves be considered galus (exile) and others not?
Sincerely,
Mordechai
Dear Mordechai,
Hello and thanks for your nice question. I would suggest that R' Elazar is listing only the movements from city to city, and does not count returning to an original city. Thus the six exiles are;
1. Yerushalayim to Yavneh
2. Yavneh to Usha
3. Usha to Shefaram
4. Shefaram to Beis Shearim
5. Beis Shearim to Tzippori
6. Tzippori to Teveryah
All the best.
Y. Landy