Q:
It is said by some commentaries on the Siddur that one should daven for Mashiach ben Yosef in the final war so that he shouldn’t be killed by the wicked “Armilos”. Elsewhere, this evil figure is called “Romilos”. My question is, who is this Armilos? And what is the concept of Armilos on the inner level, and what evil force does Armilos represent? And is there is a difference if he is called Armilos or Romilos?
A:
Targum Yehonasan (Yeshayahu 11:4) describes the death of a wicked figure, “Armilos”, at the end of the final war. He exists in a large stone found in Rome, and when the time for the final war arrives, the stone will fall and this giant figure “Armilos” will emerge from it.
(See also the commentary of Tzror HaMor to Devarim 24:8). He will be the nemesis to Mashiach ben Yosef, and the Arizal explains, when one davens for Mashiach, he should daven especially that Mashiach ben Yosef should not be killed by the wicked Armilos.
The root of the birth of Armilos is explained in Heichalos Rabasi (39:2): He will be born from an engraved image, and half of him will come from a stone and his other half will come from the engraved image. Thus, Armilos is the root of the “heart of stone” within man. He will be the only stone that produces offspring, and therefore his power can counter the offspring of Yosef. The sefer Dan Yadin says that Armilos is another name for Gog and Magog, who are two brothers, and Armilos has two heads. That is why he has two names – Armilos and Romilos. The Ohr HaChaim (Bamidbar 24:17) also discusses this.
Armilos is the chief ruler of the Erev Rav, as explained in sefer Kol HaTor (vol.I), and in the sefer Kol HaTor (vol.II) also adds further that [the tribe of ] Ephraim [who descends from Yosef and whom Mashiach ben Yosef will descend from] will wage war against Armilos.
The sefer Kinas Hashem Tzevaos (vol.II) of the Ramchal says that Armilos is the “secret of Amalek.”
