Dorothe asked:

Shalom,

I’ve once heard and read also (just don’t know where again and I could find it in google either) that the current counting of this year 5778 (2018) is due to the fact that the sages subtracted the years of the exiles in Egypt and Babylon. However I cannot find this inormation any more. Is it correct, have you heard of such a thing… would we be nearer to 6000?

Blessings, Dorothe

 

Rabbi Gidon Ariel answered:

Thanks again for being such a prolific asker, my apologies for not getting to all of your questions!

Regarding your question, see these two sources regarding the problems of calculating the year in the Hebrew calendar, the so called missing years.

Missing years (Jewish calendar)

The Missing 165 Years – Discrepancy Between Jewish and Secular Calendars

I never heard of this idea about the sages subtracting years of the exiles of Egypt or Babylon.
Interestingly, according to some of the discussion in one of those articles I references, the year 6000 Anno Mundi (counting from creation) might have been the year 2000!

Thanks and God bless!
Gidon