The
Hebrew or
Jewish calendar (,
ha'luach ha'ivri) is a
lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for
Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for
Jewish holidays and the appropriate
public reading of
Torah portions,
yahrzeits (dates to commemorate the death of a relative), and daily
Psalm readings, among many ceremonial uses. In
Israel, it is used for religious purposes, provides a time frame for agriculture and is an official calendar for civil purposes, although the latter usage has been steadily declining in favor of the
Gregorian calendar.