Genesis 12:5,

Abram took his wife Sarai and Lot, his brother’s son, and all their wealth that they had amassed, and the souls that they made in Haran; and they left to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.

Rashi, that they made in Haran, for they took them in under the wings of the Divine Presence. Abraham would convert the men, and Sarah would convert the women. Scripture considers them as if they made them [Bereishis Rabbah 39:14, 84:4; Sanhedrin 99b.]

Rambam, Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 1:3, [In Haran] he [Abraham] began to call in a loud voice to all people and inform them that there is one God in the entire world and it is proper to serve Him. He would go out and call to the people, gathering them in city after city and country after country, until he came to the land of Canaan – proclaiming [God’s existence the entire time] as [Genesis 21:33] states: «And He called there in the name of the Lord, the eternal God.»

When the people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would explain [them] to each one of them according to their understanding, until they turned to the path of truth. Ultimately, thousands and myriads gathered around him. These are the men of the house of Abraham.

He planted in their hearts this great fundamental principle, composed texts about it, and taught it to Isaac, his son. Isaac also taught others and turned [their hearts to God]. He also taught Jacob and appointed him as a teacher.

Maimonides 1990:26, When the people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would explain [them] to each one of them according to their understanding, until they turned to the path of truth. Ultimately, thousands and myriads gathered around him. These are the men of the house of Abraham. – The Rabbis question the fate of all these people. We do not find any mention of the perpetuation of their faith in God. Perhaps the cultural influences of the surrounding environment were too powerful. If the children of Israel themselves turned to idol worship after two generations in Egypt, could any more be expected from these individuals?

Maimonides 1990:27, He planted in their hearts this great fundamental principle, composed texts about it – Most commentaries point to Avodah Zarah 14b, which relates that Abraham composed a four-hundred-chapter text against the worship of false gods. Kinat Eliyahu notes that here, the Rambam is not referring to the negation of idol worship, but to the propagation of the faith in one God. Therefore, he suggests that the reference is to the Kabbalistic tradition (Zohar, Vol. II, 275b) that Sefer Yetzirah was composed by Abraham. (See also Kiryat Melech.)

Ibid.:27, and taught it to Isaac, his son. – Note Genesis 18:19: «I have known him that he will command his children and household after him, and they will keep the way of God. …» – Ibid.:28, the way of God – Note Hilchot De’ot 1:7, which explains that the expression, «the way of God,» refers to ethics, emulating the qualities of spirit which God has revealed.

Ibid.:27, Isaac also taught others and turned [their hearts to God]. He also taught Jacob – Jacob also studied under Shem and Ever (See Rashi, Genesis 25:27, Bereishit Rabbah 25:16)

Weiner 2011:142 (II.1:6), «the souls they made in Charan» (Genesis 12:5) – meaning the great number of people whose souls they had uplifted to righteousness, by teaching them to abandon idolatry and to accept the One G-d and His Seven Noahide Commandments.

«and there he proclaimed the Name of G-d, G-d of the Universe» – It can alternatively be understood that not only did Abraham call in the name of the L-rd, but he also motivated others to do so as well. Tractate Sotah 10a explains that Abraham pitched his tent in the desert, like an inn, and took in the people who passed by and fed them royally. After the guests enjoyed a satisfying meal, Abraham insisted that they thank G-d for the food, instead of thanking him. (See Part I, topic 6:6 and footnote 142.)

Ultimately, thousands and tens of thousands gathered around him. He planted in their hearts this great fundamental principle – He also taught them the Seven Noahide Commandments, which he and the members of his own household were careful to fulfill. But from the time of the passing of Abraham until the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, aside from the family of his grandson Jacob, we only find mention of righteous individuals, rather than entire communities. It seems that for most of the thousands of «people of the house of Abraham» whom he and his wife Sarah attracted, the coupe’s exceptional kindness was a temporary counterbalance to the attraction and temptation of the general idolatrous culture.

Schürer 1986:160, This literature did not of course aim at winning pagans over to a full acceptance of the Law and to joining the Jewish community. Its purpose was often only conversion to the fundamental viewpoints of Judaism.

Min kommentar, Konvertittene det her er tale om er ikke konvertitter til jødedom og den mosaiske loven, siden dette var før ‘fødselen’ til den jødiske nasjonen. ‘Å konvertere’ refererer i denne konteksten til å bli bragt ‘inn under vingene til det Guddommelige Nærvær,’ det innebærer å vende seg vekk ifra flergudsdyrkelse og mot etisk monoteisme, i.e. å følge de Syv Noahittiske Lovene.

AskNoah.org, Question: What does it mean to be brought “under the wings of the Shechina”? Answer: See Rashi’s explanation of Genesis 12:5 – Genesis 12:5. “And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls that they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.” Rashi first explains the Midrashic meaning of the underlined phrase: “and the souls that they had acquired in Haran”: whom he [Abram/Abraham] had brought under the wings of the Shechinah. Abraham would “convert” the men, and Sarah would “convert” the women, and Scripture ascribes to them [a merit] as if they had made them. (Hence, the expression אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ, [simply translated as «that they had acquired», but] literally, “that they made”.)… This was before the Torah was given at Mount Sinai, when the Israelites became the Jewish people, so the “conversion” referred to by Rashi means that Abraham and Sarah convinced many people in their home city of Haran to reject idolatry and to accept and follow the One True G-d, and those people were inspired to became their followers. Abraham and Sarah not only taught their followers to believe in the One G-d, Creator of Heaven and Earth, but also to observe the Seven Commandments that G-d commanded through Noah. In simple terms, these people became Righteous Gentiles, which uplifted their souls. With this faith and obedience to G-d, they merited to receive blessings and a close attachment to G-d’s Divine Presence (the Shechina), and spiritual reward in this world and in their afterlife. The euphemistic term for this spiritual advancement is to be brought “under the wings of the Shechina”.

Genesis 21:33,

He planted an ‘eshel’ [orchard] in Beer-sheba, and there he proclaimed the Name of Hashem, God of the Universe.

Rashi, And there he proclaimed, etc. By means of that eshel, the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He, was proclaimed as God for the entire universe. After they would eat and drink, [Abraham] would say to them, «Bless Him of Whose you have eaten. Do you believe that you have eaten of that which is mine? Of that which belongs to Him Who spoke and brought the universe into being you have eaten. [5.]

[Footnote 5. in Sapirstein’s edition of the Rashi commentary, Sotah 10a-b. We find Abraham «calling» or «proclaiming» (ויקרא) the Name of Hashem in 12:8 and 13:4 above, but there he did it at an altar. Why would he choose to do so at an orchard or an inn? Rashi explains that the verse means that he caused others to proclaim God’s rulership (Maharsha to Sotah 10a). Furthermore, in the other instances, we find Abraham proclaiming «the Name of Hashem,» but not «the Name of Hashem, God of the Universe.» Rashi explains why that term is used here. It is because Abraham’s hospitality at the eshel led his guests to recognize that God ruled the entire universe.]

Maimonides 1990:26, proclaiming [God’s existence the entire time] as [Genesis 21:33] states: «And He called there in the name of the Lord, the eternal God.» – Sotah 10a states: Do not read ‘And he called.’ Read ‘And he had others call’ – i.e., Abraham motivated others to become aware of God and call out to Him.

Weiner 2011:4, «Abraham planted an eshel in Beer-Sheba» – [What is this eshel? The Sage] Reish Lakish said: this teaches that he made an orchard and planted in it many types of fine fruit trees [to benefit the wayfarers]. [The Sage] Rabbi Nehemiah said: he built an inn [for the wayfarers, for lodging, food and drink]. «and there he proclaimed the Name of God, God of the Universe» – Reish Lakish said: Do not read it as «he proclaimed;» rather, read it as «he caused to call.» This teaches that our forefather Abraham caused the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be called by the mouth of every passerby. How? After [the wayfarers] ate and drank, they stood up to bless Abraham. He would say to them, «Was it then of my food that you ate? You ate from the food of the God of the universe. [Rather, you should] thank, praise and bless He Who spoke and caused the universe to come into being.» They would ask, «What shall we say?» He told them, «Blessed is the God of the universe, from Whose bounty we have eaten.» So Abraham taught all people to recognize and call in the Name of God, God of the universe. (Tractate Sotah 10b and Rashi; Midrash Rabbah Genesis ch. 54)

Ibid.:96,

I.6:6 (I.6. Serving G-d; Prayer and Grace After Meals)

When a person prays before G-d, and likewise when he wants to bless and thank G-d  – for example, to thank Him for his food, for his life, for his recovered health, or for a miracle that was done for him – he should direct his mind and his speech to say verses from the Hebrew Bible, or he should praise G-d in a way of honoring His blessed Name. Through this manner of prayer, the Name of G-d will be glorified. On the other hand, a person should not mention G-d while he is distracted or without thinking about what he is saying, for that would be degrading to the honor of G-d.

Therefore it was Abraham’s custom to teach all the people of the world that it is proper to thank and bless G-d’s great Name, and not to assign this level of honor to any other presumed power or any created being, as it says, [135] «and the he [Abraham] proclaimed the Name of Gd, G-d of the universe.» This means that Abraham caused the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be called out to by all those who passed by, and he taught everyone to praise the Name of G-d. [136]

135. Genesis 21:33.

136. Tractate Sotah 10b and Rashi there. This righteous path that Abraham showed is a foundational principle for the present work.

Genesis 26:5,

Abraham obeyed Me, and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws, and My teachings.