Stardate 5770, 36th night of the Omer. It's been three nights already since the GYE forum has mysteriously vanished. When will it be resurrected ? How many people are feeling the loss ?

It's midnight and my ramblings become weird at this hour. Tomorrow morning I'll be back to my usual sane self. For now I'll just ponder the mystery of missing things.

Do you know what the first missing thing was in the whole world ? The presence of Hashem. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in his introduction to Kabbalah "Innerspace" discusses the concept of the Challal Hapanui, the "Vacated Space" which Hashem formed before creating the world. The world at first couldn't be created because Hashem's essence filled the world leaving no room for anything else. So Hashem had to "remove" himself from an area of space before creating the world. This area of empty space was called the Challal Hapanui. Most of this empty space was then filled as Hashem created the world. But parts of this space still remain empty. Rabbi Kaplan explains that a person needs to travel through this empty space when they're moving spiritually from level to level. He says it's a terrifying experience because it appears that Hashem is not there, and it feels like total abandonment.

I think I can relate to this because I've experienced certain times in my life, like when an emotionally difficult day is followed by a dark and lonely night, when it feels like I'm in the Challal Hapanui.

Hashem tells Avrohom as an introduction to the Milah, "walk in front of me and be Tamim". Maybe Hashem is saying that there will be times when his (Hashem's) presence will appear to be missing, and in those situations Avrohom should "walk in front of Hashem" with Temimus (like when you're walking in front of someone and you can't see them behind you), even though those are the most difficult times to be shomer the bris.

I read a similar and I think equally inspirational bit today (Rabbi Dr.Avraham Twerski rocks).  Old Baal Shem tov story story:
when a father teaches his son to walk, he first helps the kid stand.  then they begin to take steps and the father is very close to the child.  as he masters standing, the father moves back and the child feels further from the father.  he then starts walking towards him, and as the child walks the father steps further away.  while it seems to the child that he is so far from the father, he is actually now mastering the means to get to the father, and simultaneously the means to walk independently.
those times that you feel that you are in an empty space, Hashem is there, but He stepped back a bit farther to show you that you can walk, and He's waiting for you to walk to Him.  Hopefully someday soon you can start jogging, and eventually running...

The following is from a Sefer called Restore My Soul, a collection of R' Nachman's and R' Noson's writings.

When a person wishes to return to G-d, he needs two types of skill in the law. He must be skilled in the "running" and skilled in the "returning". These two concepts underlie the words of the Psalm. The skill in the running is necessary at the moment of the "rise up to the Heavens." The skill in returning is required "if I make hell my bed". A person who wants to return to G-d must gird himself and strengthen himself at all times. If he climbs higher in his quests, "If I ascend to Heaven," - then - "there You are". And if he experiences a descent - "If I make hell my bed" - he will still find G-d: "You are there." Likutey Moharan I:6.