The //**cal**// command in Linux and other Unix-like systems like FreeBSD is used to display a calendar of the current month or a specific month and year. The **cal** command is a simple tool that can be used to quickly view the calendar for the current month or any other month and year. This can be useful for checking the dates or simply for reference.

The basic syntax for **cal** is:

<code>
cal [options] [month] [year]</code>
Where month and year are the month and year for which you want to display the calendar. If no month and year are specified, the current month and year will be used.

**Examples**:

To display the calendar of the current month:
<code>cal</code>

To display the calendar of a specific month and year:
<code>cal 5 2023</code>


output
<code>
$ cal
    January 2023
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7
 8  9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31

$ cal 5 2023
cal 5 2023
      May 2023
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
    1  2  3  4  5  6
 7  8  9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

</code>

The **cal** command also supports a variety of options that allow you to customize its behavior. For more detailed information, please refer to the manual pages for **cal** by running the command //**man cal**// 

In summary, the **cal** command is a simple yet powerful tool that allows you to display a calendar of the current month or a specific month and year. By understanding the basic syntax and options, you can easily view the calendar for the current month or any other month and year.