Dear All, My mother-in-law is a excellent cook, and we have enjoyed many wonderful Shabbos and Yon Tov meals at her house. I recently noticed that her knives are all of a poor quality. I would like to buy her a good set of knives as a gift. I am familiar with the idea that according to Jewish tradition we don't give knives as gifts. I understand that it is acceptable to give knives as a gift, if the recipient of the gift gives the other party a coin in exchange for the gift. I would be grateful if anyone could shed some light on whether: - the practice of not giving knives as gifts is in fact a Jewish tradition; - the practice of not giving knives as gifts only applies to wedding gifts; and - it is acceptable to give knives as a gift, if the recipient of the gift gives the other party a coin in exchange. If anyone could point me to a reference on the internet where this is discussed, that would be most helpful. Thanks in advance. Kind regards, David